


The Prince of London Below

by TheKnightsWhoSay



Category: Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Angst, Eventual Smut, Levi is a ball of angst, London Below, Love/Hate, M/M, Neil Gaiman - Freeform, Neverwhere - Freeform, Smut, alternative universe, serious angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:15:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 43,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24909019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheKnightsWhoSay/pseuds/TheKnightsWhoSay
Summary: Levi is a Prince of London Below. He is convinced that Isabel is still alive and is determined to find her. When he accidentally brings ex-intelligence officer Erwin Smith into his World, he might finally have a shot.(World concept inspired by Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere" but the story should make sense without having read the book)
Relationships: Levi & Erwin Smith, Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 30
Kudos: 88





	1. A Shadow on the Rooftops

**Author's Note:**

> Are you ready!? I am! There's much more to come, and I am very excited to share this lil story with everyone. Chapters will be updated regularly. 
> 
> This story is set around 2005-ish so London is basically the same as it is today, but people don't have smartphones yet.

Levi is a lone silhouette amongst London’s rooftops. Overcast as ever, the dense night sky is artificially bright with the glow of millions of streetlamps. He perches, still and silent, indistinguishable from the chimney stacks and satellite dishes.

Below him is a brightly lit, narrow street peppered with small shops. Even at this time, with the polish bakeries and halal butchers shuttered, there are people about. A couple of pubs have just shut their doors and Levi can smell the piss and beer as a group of red-faced, pot-bellied men stumble past loudly.

A window slides open with purpose as an irate woman sticks her head out and yells “Oi! Keep the bloody noise down! Some of us are trying to sleep over here!”

As the men begin a drunken shouting match with the woman, other neighbours stick their heads out to join. Levi watches impassively from the shadows.

He’s about to move on, there’s nothing to see here, when he picks up the faint pattering of footsteps approaching along the rooftops. There aren’t many who would actively seek him out these days. The light graceful steps reveal the identity of the approaching figure.

It’s not long before a small teenage girl appears from around a chimney stack. She’s sporting a faded, knitted poncho which is too big on her slender frame. Her light brown hair is loose and falls just below her shoulders, the kind so shiny and soft it’s usually only reserved for adverts.

“Hi Prince Levi.” Says Petra meekly, deftly climbing around the stack and dropping down to mirror his low perch on the raised edge of the roof. She fixes her large, pale eyes on him as she catches her breath.

“I told you not to call me that.” He says, too sharply.

“Oh,” she says, flushing, “I’m sorry, I know, it’s just, everyone does.”

“They shouldn’t either.”

“It’s a term of respect.”

“They can shove their respect.” Levi says, bitterly.

Petra swallows, hovering uncertainly as if she’s regretting seeking him out.

Seeing her apprehension, Levi regrets his harsh tone immediately. Petra is kind to him, after all, despite his efforts. “Why are you here.” He murmurs in a gentler tone.

“Oh, well I, um, I brought you some pie. I thought you might like some.”

Levi’s eyebrows raise, surprised and warmed by her kindness. He takes the pie slowly, cautiously, handling it carefully like it might shatter or vanish. It smells like crumbling pastry and hot potatoes.

“Oh.” He says, lamely, at a complete loss for words. “Thank you.” He says, the words feeling rusty in his mouth from lack of use.

“Even brave warriors such as you have to eat.” Petra says, running a hand nervously through her hair and in the harsh orange glare of the streetlamps her face seems flushed. Levi can pick out her elevated heartbeat.

“I am no hero, Petra.” He says quietly.

She doesn’t reply, though he knows she’s heard him. Growing up in the dark does wonders for a person’s hearing abilities.

There’s a silence that Levi supposes is uncomfortable for those used to conversation. He doesn’t know what to say. Instead, he turns his gaze back upon the street, much quieter now that the drunkards have given up their shouting match and have turned towards home. Petra shifts her weight from one foot to the other, failing to hide her nervous state.

Eventually, to Levi’s relief, she seems to gather the courage to ask: “Actually, Pr-,” she stops herself, “Levi.” She pauses, unused to saying his name without his title. “What I really wanted to ask was, um, well. Samhain is coming up and, well, it would be nice if you would join us for the feast. We’ve already started preparing, I mean, that’s why Nana made pies today to teach some of the kids. I just thought – well, that it’d be nice to see you there.”

Levi turns his face out of the light so that the shadows cover the open surprise and conflicted feelings that his expression gives away. When he doesn’t respond immediately, Petra keeps rambling nervously, and in her earnestness and kindness she reminds him so much of Isabel it hurts.

“..and there’s the new trainees who would love to see you in action again, you know, you really give them hope and then, well, now I’m rambling, but for the festival it would surely please the ancestors to see us all there, and-“

“Alright.” He says, quietly.

“Al-alright?” She says, clearly surprised.

“Yes. I’ll come.”

“Oh. Good. That’s good! It will be our honour-“

“But there’s no need for any of the titles and stuff alright? I’m Gyptian same as any of you.”

“Right. Of course, yes, sorry. Ok. Well, thank you. It’ll be good. Yes. Good.” And she laughs uncertainly while nodding to herself.

Another uncomfortable silence follows when Levi doesn’t say anything more. On the street below, a sputtering coughing fit starts from beneath some blankets under the awning of a second-rate supermarket.

“Well,” Petra says, standing up, “I guess I’ll be getting back.” She runs a hand through her hair again. Even in the poor light, it looks soft. “Guess I’ll see you.”

Levi nods. Petra slips away, and he thinks he hears her whoop in joy and excitement from afar.

Alone again, he gently unwraps Petra’s gift. It’s become squished in Petra’s pocket, but the first crunching mouthful of pastry and potato is heavenly, and he practically inhales all of it, he eats it so quickly. After the warmth from his small meal fades, he is only more conscious of the cold, and a spitting, pathetic drizzle begins.

Pulling his hood over his head, he stands and continues his silent, solitary patrol across the rooftops of London.

* * *

The crisp late Autumn rain and wind barely affects him. Levi likes this time of year because the nights are so long he can stay out on the rooftops for hours and hours. It used to be Furlan’s favourite time of year too. And Isabel’s.

It was the winter markets that Furlan and Isabel loved the most. The three of them used to race each other across the rooftops from one market to the next and then stuff themselves on stolen donuts soaked in cinnamon and sugar or get pleasantly drunk on mulled wine. Stealing from markets was piss easy for the three of them. Tends to happen if you grow up living in the shadows. Lots of practise.

Levi’s mouth is watering thinking about those markets, but he ignores it. It’s too late now for most Commoners in London Above to be awake, letting alone running market stalls. As he traverses the eclectic architecture of London’s skyline, he keeps his senses alert for any signs of smoke.

The endless patrols that fill his waking hours have two purposes. First, so that he can be the first to respond if the Titans attack again. And second, because somehow he’s hoping that one day amongst the endless crowds he’ll spot Isabel.

His fists clench unconsciously as he remembers his last fight with Hange; a messy, eccentric older Gyptian who was once his closest friend outside of Isabel and Furlan.

_“Levi, have you considered that you might not find her?” said Hange._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Levi, I know we never found her body, but that wildfire raged for hours, she couldn’t have survived.”_

_“She’s not dead! She’s not! I just know it.” He said, anger starting to boil._

_“Please, Levi.” Hange said, desperately, “You can’t keep running headfirst into Titan dens looking for her. You’ll get yourself killed.”_

_“Last I checked, you’re all ecstatic about me ‘running headfirst into Titan dens’ since I conveniently wipe them all out for you. I’m a Prince now, for my_ bravery _, didn’t you hear?”_

_“And what happens when you go too far? We need you with us Levi, to help protect London Below.”_

_“I’ll protect London Below my way. I’m not joining your pathetic troupe of fighters. I’m not going to stop looking for Isabel.”_

_He’d ran, ignoring how Hange had called after him, ignoring the desperation in their voice._

That was many months ago. Now, the Gyptians leave him to his solitary patrols. Even Nana Hutchings doesn’t try and talk to him anymore. So Levi roams London Above at night, always watching, always waiting and always alone.

But he’s never short on entertainment. London never sleeps, and even in the idle hours after the pubs have closed and before the bakers rise, there are always places where the music carries on.

The parts of the city that thrive in the depths of the night seem the most alive to Levi. Whether it’s the hidden cellars that rumble with ground-shaking bass rhythms and pulsating, semi-naked bodies, or the adrenaline-inducing fights that break out in the hidden back alleys, Levi feels almost at home in these dark places. Those places and people that flourish in the darkness have always welcomed him, one of their own.

Tonight, he is vaguely watching a disagreement between two sickly looking young men outside a throbbing night club. Their heated voices change abruptly as one of them draws a knife; the other begins to whimper pathetically.

Suddenly, Levi’s observations are interrupted by a metallic clap. The night club’s abused door has been flung open. A healthier looking pair of men emerge, breathing in the cool night air with appreciation. The first is a youth in jeans and a hoodie, with a shock of bright purple hair hanging limply over his shoulders.

The second is a man Levi recognises with surprise.

“Seriously man, you gotta come with me. I swear, those people you been lookin’ for? My source ‘as got answers, but he’s scared like. Says you gotta come to him, prove you ain’t no copper.” Says the youth.

“I understand. Take me there.” Replies the second man in a deep, authoritative voice. The man is tall, well-built, and handsome in a military sort of way. He looks the part, too, with his brilliant blond hair shorn aggressively short, well-defined jawline and intense blue eyes.

 _It’s him,_ thinks Levi. _The soldier._

Levi would be lying if he said he didn’t watch certain lives more than others. ‘The soldier’ as Levi calls him due to his military-style haircut and posture, is one of the most curious Commoners he’s ever observed. Always popping up in surprising places, Levi’s caught the man asking a range of very clever questions.

Most of them about fires.

Perhaps not all Commoners are as clueless about Titans as those from London Below make them out to be.

Interest piqued, he follows the two men as the soldier is led by the youth away from the dark sprawl of dodgy clubs and illegal gambling dens and towards the dead emptiness of a set of glass office blocks, eerily silent in contrast.

The offices are like sharp, dead giants; empty, and jarringly shiny like a metallic scar amongst the old, crumbling buildings surrounding them. Even at this time, most of the offices have their blue-white lights at full glare and they pierce Levi’s sensitive eyes like sunlight.

Reaching the end of the tiled old rooftops, he throws a knife-hook precisely upwards so that it hooks over the edge of a heating unit on the roof of the first glass edifice. The knife is secured with a long reel of twine, and he flicks the button of a mechanism hidden in his wide sleeves and shoots upwards as the twine winds itself with a quiet zipping sound.

From there, it’s easy to keep following the men. Even these glass monsters have to have rooves and there's plenty for Levi to hook onto. The soldier is led into one of the office buildings, and Levi sits and waits, listening attentively. He winces in pain at the brilliant light spilling out across from him.

From within the building, he can pick out the sounds of feet moving against metal stairs, but he frowns as he realises there are far more than two pairs. He immediately feels uneasy. Something feels wrong. He sees a shadow move at the base of the building. The soldier’s purple-haired guide hasn’t gone inside.

He spots something shifting through the window across from him. A man in a smart business suit has emerged from the other side of the room and is walking between the beige desks with a blank, bored expression on his face.

Levi winces again as he peers into the brightly lit room, making out a flicker of red hair and the edge of someone’s arm.

 _Why are there so many people here at this time?_ he thinks, _and why must they have the lights at full glare?_

The penny drops just as he watches the soldier being led into the room.

What better place to hide at this time of night, for creatures afraid of the dark?

Upon seeing the collection of people gathered in the room, a look crosses the soldier’s face which tells Levi that the man understands that he’s just walked into a trap, and in the next moment the soldier has punched a red-haired figure straight in the face and there’s a thud as they fall bodily to the floor. But the soldier doesn’t have time to do much else because three more figures have emerged from the door and have pinned him to the ground. Levi can hear the distinctive clip of handcuffs.

Despite his excellent fighting skills, the soldier is vastly outnumbered and caught off guard.

Levi stands, knives at the ready. A Titan den. It’s been a while.

He watches as they forcibly move the soldier closer to the windows and push him onto his knees. The Titan dressed as a businessman approaches the soldier and Levi can see clearly his blank, empty expression. What he’d taken for boredom is actually something much more deadly. Something inhuman.

From within the inner lining of his suit jacket, the suited Titan draws out something small. The bright light bounces off its metallic surface. There’s the click of the lighter’s cap being opened.

Levi jumps.


	2. Underground

The window shatters into splinters as Levi crashes through.

All four Titans in the room are dead before they know it, no match for the speed and precision of Levi’s daggers. The soldier blinks at him in shock, hands still bound behind his back and kneeling on the floor. Levi catapults across the room, scooping the lighter out of the dead businessman’s hand and securing it safely within the folds of his coat as he hears rapid footsteps approaching.

Levi's mind becomes very still and very calm. He becomes hyper-aware of each sound and shift in vibrations through the floor. His blood pounds steadily beneath his skin. He eyes the room. Only one door.

The soldier’s made it onto his feet despite his bound hands and Levi’s managed to retrieve two of his knives, but the other two remain buried in the bodies nearest the door. The approaching footsteps have stopped. Instead, two figures seem to be waiting just outside.

Levi is confused. Why are they waiting? Titans aren’t usually smart enough to strategise. He doesn’t dwell on it, instead carefully picking his way over the glass-strewn floor to the shattered window. He’s confident he could use his twine-bound knife to zip over to the next rooftop. However, he’s also certain the twine won’t bear the weight of two.

He hesitates, and when he glances at the soldier, he finds the man’s piercing gaze on him as if reading his mind. Does Levi read resignation in those blue eyes?

Levi could leave. His intention had been to stop the Titan from starting a wildfire and he succeeded. But as he stares at the soldier, he has the strangest feeling that he should stay. The man won’t live if Levi leaves him here.

He curses. Fuck it. He wants to see this Titan Den wiped out. They’ll get out of this. Levi returns the man's stare and turns his back on the open window with finality.

Levi comes up behind the soldier, rattling the handcuffs. “Don’t have enough time to undo these, think you can run while I cover?”

“I’ll be alright.” Says the soldier, determined.

Levi begins edging towards the door as he feels his companion do the same.

“Wait.” Says the taller man, thick brows furrowed as he tips his head, listening. Two shots suddenly resound, leaving Levi’s ears ringing, and he hears the heavy slump off two bodies hitting the ground beyond the door. He spots two smoking bullet holes at about head height in the wall either side of it.

 _Great, now my hearing's fucked._ Thinks Levi, but he is reluctantly a little impressed.

Running feet, more of them. “Four Titans coming this way.” He tells the soldier. “If we take them out we can go right, fire escape at the end of the hall.”

“Titans?” The soldier asks, but the pair are soon distracted. These Titans aren’t the kind that wait. They run straight through the doorway, easily knocked down with Levi’s knives.

“Now. Quick, let’s move.” Says Levi, and the soldier deftly steps over the bodies whilst Levi somersaults over them, grabbing his knives.

They make it halfway down the hall before more Titans appear. They must have been waiting in another of the offices.

 _Again with the waiting,_ thinks Levi, but he doesn’t complete his thought as he’s roughly barrelled into the hard surface of the wall. A large, thick-set man wearing a stained apron has Levi’s much smaller body pressed tightly against a noticeboard and he instinctively lashes out with his legs, hands scrabbling for purchase, finding only the silky surface of carefully laminated paper.

As if from a great distance, he hears his companion engaged in battle in the narrow hallway as the large Titan starts choking off his air supply with a face that is eerily, inhumanly blank. Desperately, he scrabbles, and his fingers find a pin sticking into the noticeboard’s surface. He stabs up into his assailant’s face and feels the moment it sinks into the Titan’s eye.

He barely gives himself time to gasp for air before taking out the man’s throat with a careful slash of steel and he shivers with disgust as he’s caught in the aerial spray of hot blood that follows.

Levi’s just in time. His companion is pinned to the floor and two Titans have taken his gun and are about to shoot him. Levi gets them both in the head, a knife for each of them.

After retrieving the blades, he hauls the soldier to his feet, struggling under the man’s weight. The soldier must be almost twice Levi’s height and his hands are still bound which doesn’t help.

“Can you stand?” Levi asks.

“Yes.” The soldier responds.

“Good, we need to go. Can’t hear any more but my hearing's still out from those gunshots.”

The other man seems to recover, and they move quickly to the end of the hall, crashing through the brightly painted fire escape door. Levi is tense, ready for a further attack at any moment as they move quickly and quietly down the flights of stairs. Even the staircase is horrendously bright, and the glare makes Levi uneasy.

Despite their efforts, their footsteps still sound far too loud, reverberating and amplifying around the ugly, concrete walls.

Suddenly, they hear the bang of steel against a wall from above them. Footsteps.

“Run!” Yells the soldier, and they fly down the last few flights. Reaching the ground floor, they push through the door into the cold night air, but with little relief as two figures materialise before them. Both fall to the floor, one from the impact of a bullet; the other, a knife.

Levi shares the briefest look of appreciation with the soldier before they take off into the night.

Frustratingly, all the streets in the area are very well lit and there are few places they can hide. They keep running and as Levi hears the sound of a door slamming open, he knows they have Titans not far behind them.

He curses. There’s only one place where the Titans are sure not to follow. He’s going to have to bring the soldier into London Below.

They head out of the glass forest towards safer, older buildings with plenty of shadows. As soon as they’re out of the glaring lights in the cold darkness of an alleyway Levi feels more comfortable. Even better, he can sense an entrance into London Below deeper in the darkness.

The soldier follows him without question deeper into the alleyway, but Levi turns to him and stops him with a hand on his chest before they reach the putrid-smelling garbage hiding the entrance.

Levi isn’t sure what he would’ve said to the man – a warning, perhaps, about what happens to people from London Above who spend too long in London Below - but he’s interrupted by the sound of pursuit nearby. “Fuck it.” He says instead before he’s pushing aside the garbage in distaste and opening the manhole cover which he finds beneath.

“It’s a short drop. You won’t need your hands.” Levi adds, disappearing into the open hole in the ground.

From within the safety of the tunnel, Levi breathes a sigh of relief to be back in his own territory. The soldier drops through the hole shortly after with a colourful set of curses and he moves down into the tunnel, only to swear again when he hits his head on the low ceiling. Levi jumps up and heaves the manhole cover over them, bathing them in pitch blackness.

“Follow the sound of my voice.” Levi whispers to the man, the words amplified by the small tunnel walls.

Levi beelines for the closest turn-off, and it’s not long before they take a turning out of the narrow tunnel into a space that sounds much larger and wetter. Water gurgles over itself nearby, and the sound of dripping is accompanied by the piercing chill of droplets falling onto them from above.

“Any chance of some light?” murmurs the Commoner.

“Yeah, hang on.” Says Levi, taking advantage of the man’s blindness to shove him to the ground and divest him of his weapons first.

“Hey! What the fuck!?” The soldier cries.

Levi locates two handguns – one in the man’s pocket, the other tucked into the back of his waistband.

“Not taking any chances, sorry.” Says Levi, sounding anything but sorry, as he takes the weapons and stashes them in a corner. He locates a lamp on the wall and lights it with a match drawn from within his many-pocketed coat.

The space around them flares into existence, illuminating a crusted underground sign mounted on a damp wall and a torrent of water forming a river over the edge of the platform where tracks should be. Levi watches the other man shift from the floor into a kneel.

“You could be a Titan, for all I know.” Says Levi.

“One of those non-people obsessed with lighting fires?”

“Yup. I just met you, how do I know you’re not one of them?”

“Because we just fought our way through a dozen of them, maybe?”

“Nope. Sorry. Gonna need more proof.” And Levi moves quickly around the man so he can see Levi clearly, and in particular, the knife Levi has poised and ready to throw. The soldier meets his gaze with a frown.

“You’ve seen me throw one of these. I could have you dead on the floor before you can blink.” states Levi, voice as sharp as the blade in his hand.

The soldier doesn’t reply, glaring back at Levi with his mouth set firm.

“Get up.” Levi commands. The soldier does as he’s told, still staring. As he draws himself to his full height, the fact that he’s so much taller is comically at odds with Levi’s threat but Levi doesn’t lower his knife.

“Sit on the platform edge and put your legs into the water.” Says Levi.

The other man moves over to the platform, toes off his shoes, and sinks down awkwardly.

Slowly, he sticks one leg, and then the other, into the cold, gurgling water. Levi lowers his knife, breathing a sigh of relief. The tension leaves his body.

“I’m guessing Titans don’t like water?” says the taller man quietly, realisation dawning.

“Bingo.” Says Levi.

“Makes sense, since they like fire so much.” The other man says.

Levi bends to crouch behind the Commoner, who flinches when Levi touches his wrist. “You want these cuffs off or what?” Levi scowls.

“Right. Sure. I’m sorry, it’s just a little hard to keep track when one second you’re saving my life, the next you’re threatening me and taking my weapons, and then the next you’re helping me again.” The man says, voice dripping in sarcasm.

“Not my fault your narrow Commoner brain can’t keep up.” Levi murmurs, but he draws out a set of lock picks, working them into the dark keyhole of the handcuffs.

His fingers lightly brush against the man’s hands as he works, and they’re both quiet while the rushing and bubbling of the underground river fills the space around them.

Finally, the cuffs come loose after a faint click, and the soldier draws his hands out of Levi’s touch to examine them.

“No real damage.” The man declares, drawing his lower legs out of the cold water with a shiver. The Commoner moves back from the edge and sits with his arms wrapped around his soaked, denim-clad legs.

Levi crouches on the platform edge next to the man. He feels the tension from the fight and the chase begin to unwind from his shoulders as he takes out a cloth and dips it into the cold water. Cool liquid is a blessing against his skin, and he starts to wipe the blood and dirt from himself.

“You got a name?” Says Levi, eventually.

“Erwin. Erwin Smith.” Says the Commoner, “You?”

“Levi.”

Erwin nods. They sit without saying anything for a while as Levi wrings out the cloth, puts it to one side and starts taking out his knives and cleaning them, one by one.

“Thank you.” Says Erwin, after some time.

“For what?”

“I would’ve been firewood if you hadn’t crashed in.”

“Didn’t do it for you. Couldn’t let them start a wildfire.” Levi says, but he thinks back to that moment stood by the window when he could've left the Commoner behind. From the softness of his expression, it looks like Erwin's thinking something similar.

“What the fuck were you doing walking into a Titan den anyway? You got some kind of death wish?” Levi says.

“Something like that.” Erwin's expression turns dark. “I’ve been a complete fool. I should’ve seen that coming.”

“Yeah, you should.”

“I just, well, I just needed to know. I needed to find out the truth.”

The taller man reaches up and peels back the collar of his leather jacket, exposing his neck. The skin is marred by the angry burn scars left by wildfire.

Levi’s hands still as he gazes at the jagged skin of Erwin’s neck. It explains so much. The reason the man spends his nights asking questions about fires. He’s seen a wildfire. More than that, he’s _survived_ one.

Erwin observes the way that Levi’s eyes widen in understanding, and after a moment he shrugs back into his jacket and Levi shakes himself, returning to his work and taking out another sleek, sharp blade.

“No your first time, huh?” Says Levi quietly. “We didn’t think Commoners knew about the Titans. We thought you were too busy blaming people like us for the fires: the homeless, the addicts, the forgotten. ”

“Sorry, what do you mean by 'Commoners'?”

“Y'know. People up there, walking London in the daylight, living by your small-minded rules and regulations, casting out anyone who doesn’t fit the bill. London Above.”

“I don’t follow.” Says Erwin, visibly perplexed.

Levi sighs. “People like me. We slip through the cracks. Places too. Take this one.” He gestures to their surroundings. “Forgotten. Abandoned. What happens to us all? Why, we join London Below, of course.”

Erwin’s frown doesn’t shift.

“Doesn’t matter,” Levi mutters very quietly, “If you’re unlucky, you’ll find out for yourself…”

The cogs are turning in the other man’s brain. “There are others like you? Who fight the Titans?” says Erwin. His voice takes on a tone of urgency and excitement.

“Yup.” Says Levi.

“How many?”

“Depends which realms you include.”

Erwin attempts to process this, and, failing, asks: “These fighters, are you like an army?”

“Not by your standards, probably.”

“Can you take me to them?”

“No fucking way.”

“Why not?”

“Because you belong in London Above. Look, we’ve spent too much time down here already. You don’t want to get stuck down here.”

“Why not? Seems I can fight Titans better if I join forces with you. See how we defeated all those Titans just now?”

“What? No. I’m not – Look, I work alone. There are others but they’re nothing to do with me. I can’t help you.”

“But-“

“No. We’re leaving. Right now, actually.” Levi hisses, already on his feet, blood starting to heat up.

Erwin attempts to protest further but Levi simply walks out into the tunnel and the man is forced to scramble after him, pleading with him to wait and show him the way out.

* * *

“Actually, there’s something else.” Levi says.

He’s just pulled Jean, the fighters' elected leader, Hange, the Titan expert, and Nana Hutchings, the Gyptian leader, away from dinner so he can hand over the lighter and tell them about the fight. They almost aren’t surprised, he doesn’t usually speak to them for any other reason.

“Goddess help us. There’s more? As if running headfirst into a Titan Den, rescuing a Commoner _and_ bringing him into London Below wasn’t enough…” Nana says, clucking her tongue. “Alright, tell us then.”

“The Titans. Some of them – they waited to strike; they knew better than to just run in. And two of them pulled a gun on the Commoner like they were familiar with it or something. And in the first place they _lured_ that Commoner there as if they had a plan in mind, but why go to that trouble just to start a wildfire and kill him anyway? It doesn’t make much sense.”

“Shit.” Says Jean.

“Prince Levi,” begins Hange, “are you saying that they might be getting more intelligent?”

“I don’t know Hange. I really don’t know.”

* * *

A week later, Levi is on another solitary, late-night patrol of the rooftops.

Except that his thoughts keep turning over the events of the week before. He’s frustrated with himself for being so distracted. He needs to keep moving, keep a constant lookout, see if he can track down the remaining Titans from the den.

But every time he pauses to watch the city below him he’s thinking about it again. What is it that’s bothering him? Perhaps it’s the look of determination in Erwin’s eyes as he professed his desire to find out the truth. He’s only ever seen that kind of determination in Furlan. Or perhaps it’s the concerning advances in Titan intelligence. What will they do if Titans start wielding guns as well as fire?

Or maybe it’s a lingering sense of guilt. He’d brought Erwin into London Below and then unceremoniously dumped him back into London Above, knowing full well that often that’s all it takes for a Commoner to disappear and be forced to join those who spend their lives hiding in the shadows.

Regardless, his cyclical thoughts are annoying, and he does his best to ignore them.

His thoughts come crashing to a halt as he smells smoke.

It smells like books and curtains burning. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end as he follows the smell, clambering deftly down a scaffolding, hopping through some billowing plastic sheeting and falling into a roll along a concrete section.

Though the smell increases as he draws closer, he still can’t see any flames. Perhaps it’s just a normal fire and not a wildfire.

 _Or,_ whispers a small voice in the back of his mind, _It could just be the start of a wildfire, and you could have time to stop it._ The thought propels him on faster, and the terracotta tiles are rough and familiar under his hands as he pulls himself up onto a different set of rooftops.

Finally, he stops at a flat section about four stories of the ground. A police car wails and shifts key as it passes him, its blue and red lights pulsing strangely against the row of buildings opposite him. The smoke is definitely coming from the rooftop he’s facing, but there’s no fire at all and though he squints, he can’t make out anything.

He steels himself to cross over and explore, and with the throw of a twine-bound knife and a brief zipping sound, he is landing lightly at the source of the smoke.

Levi wasn’t wrong, there’s no fire; instead, the distinct scorch marks of one made recently, but there’s the remnants of some sort of grass, the kind that might dampen flames and produce a smoke-heavy kind of fire.

That’s when he feels a hard metal nozzle pressing into his back, followed by the cold click of a gun cocking.

“Hello Levi.” Says Erwin.


	3. The Gyptian Camp

Erwin presses the gun hard into Levi’s back as the smaller man remains crouched by the remnants of the fire. A car horn goes off a few streets away, and Levi reaches out with his senses on the dark rooftop, assessing the angles of various surfaces within throwing distance.

“This is the thanks I get for saving your life?” spits Levi.

“I need answers from you.” Erwin says, ignoring his question.

“Do you really need a gun for that?”

“Can’t be too careful. You’re armed, after all.” His words mirror Levi’s words a week before, when he’d been the one threatening Erwin’s life.

Levi feels bubbling anger growling under the surface of his thoughts. 

A faint _thwack_ is the only warning Erwin gets before a short wooden stick the length of a finger knocks his hand away and the gun clatters to the floor.

The prince rolls quickly and nimbly away from the man, and before Erwin knows it Levi is settled into a perch on top of a chimney, looking ready to pounce at any moment like a wild cat.

By the time Erwin’s scrabbled for the gun and turned towards the smaller man, Levi’s holding a knife ready to throw. Erwin’s brows knit together and he grumbles deeply.

“Much better.” Says Levi, “Your manners could use some work.”

Erwin’s shoulders sag and he lowers the gun, tucking it into his waistband. Levi’s knife disappears silently beneath his sleeve.

“Did you know what would happen to me?” Says Erwin.

“Did I know what?” Replies Levi, cautiously, with a rising feeling of guilt.

“Don’t give me that.” Erwin says, exasperated. “Look, when we went down into that underground place you seemed…worried about what would happen if I stayed down there too long. I didn’t think much about it until – well, until a few days ago.”

Levi watches Erwin intently from his perch. The taller man begins to pace and twirl his arms in agitation.

“It started small. I just went to get more milk from the corner shop, and then the shopkeeper, Ahmed, couldn’t see me, or if he did, his gaze would slip right off me. It was like I wasn’t there.” Erwin pauses, then: “In fact, within the day, no one could see me, even by London’s cold standards! But it was yesterday when strangers walked right into my flat as if no one had lived there for years and proceeded to clear up all my stuff, blind to my presence and deaf to my protests, that I realised I had properly vanished.”

Levi’s gaze is drawn to a large duffel bag on the other side of the roof that he hadn’t noticed before.

“So, Levi, seeing as you’re the only one I thought might know what’s going on, I knew I had to get in touch.” Erwin moves right up to him and crosses his arms. Due to their height difference, even perched on the chimney stack Levi is only just the same height, and their eyes meet at the same level. Pale grey eyes meet blue with the same intensity.

“I’m sorry.” Levi says quietly, “I’d hoped we weren’t down there long enough for this to happen.”

Erwin sighs and scrubs a hand over his close-cropped hair. “So, am I like you now?”

“Yes. We call ourselves ‘Hidden’. Those of us who belong to London Below. Erwin, you are no longer a Commoner, a man of London Above. For that, I am sorry.”

“Hmmm,” murmurs Erwin, heavy brows creasing, “I see.” Though from his tone, Levi isn’t sure he does.

As the man resumes his pacing, processing this new information, something else occurs to Levi.

“Hey, how did you know how to bring me here anyways?”

The pacing footsteps pause once more. A couple of pigeons flutter in their sleep somewhere close by. Erwin sneaks a sly glance at him.

“Finding people was my job for fifteen years.” He says in his rumbling voice, “I was good.” But Levi thinks he can pick out something sad in Erwin’s tone.

The prince’s eyes widen as he takes in the implications of this. A man who can find people. More importantly, a man who can find people _in London Above_. His heartbeat picks up.

Erwin Smith may be able to find Isabel.

“Ok, look. We just might be in a position to help each other out here, y’know?” Levi begins.

The taller man cocks his head to one side as if trying to read Levi’s mind.

“Perhaps. What did you have in mind?” says Erwin.

“You need something from me. You’re Hidden now, and I’m the only one that can lead you to the others. The fighters you so desperately want to join, fuck knows why.”

“I’m listening.”

“Luckily for you, _Erwin Smith_ , you just might be able to help me, in return for my kindness.”

Erwin narrows his eyes. “And what might that be?”

“You’re going to help me find someone.” Says Levi. “A girl. She’s somewhere in London Above. No problem for someone with your experience, I’m sure.”

“I see.” Says the taller man. He turns away from Levi, expression thoughtful in the unnatural glow of the night-time clouds.

Erwin takes a brief period of time as if in reflection, but Levi knows as well as he does that Levi’s proposition makes a lot of sense, and it’s not long before the man returns from his pacing around the rooftop and fixes Levi once more with his intense gaze.

“I can’t see any problems with this plan. Count me in.” Erwin reaches a hand to Levi, who stares at the appendage in disgust.

“What are you doing?”

“Um. Going for a handshake to seal the deal?”

“Yeah, it’s sealed already, I just nodded, didn’t you see? Why would we touch hands?”

“Ah, never mind.” Says the taller man, suddenly flustered and confused. He recovers quickly.

“Well then, Levi, lead the way.”

* * *

They emerge from the underground tunnels into a small room that flickers with lantern light. The walls and floor are roughly carved stone and there isn’t much to see except for a dusty curtain in a corner and an opening to another tunnel opposite.

The main entrance to the Gyptian Camp is never left unguarded and today is no exception. Levi recognises one of the guards, a sharp girl with dark red hair called Sasha who is well respected for her particularly fine senses. The other is a wide-eyed boy as short as Levi who looks to be barely out of childhood.

The two young guards seem deeply engrossed in gossip when Levi and Erwin emerge from the shadows. Immediately, the guards’ chattering falls silent and they drop into a bow, left fists pressed to their chests. “Prince Levi!” they bark in unison.

Sensing Erwin’s curiosity he shoots the man a scowl that he hopes will silence any questions. “Cut the crap.” He tells the guards.

They straighten and shoot each other an amused look and he hears the boy murmur “Told you.” Sasha elbows him, hard. “Connie!” she hisses in warning.

 _So that’s the boy’s name,_ thinks Levi.

Levi ignores them, getting straight to the point. “This Commoner,” he gestures to Erwin, “has recently become Hidden. I told him I’d show him to the camp, he’s got some fighting experience you could use.”

“State your name.” Sasha says to Erwin, regaining composure, and switching into guard mode.

“Erwin Smith.”

“Are you human, Erwin Smith?” Asks Sasha.

“Fuck’s sake. I can’t believe you still ask that. If he _were_ a Titan, obviously he wouldn’t just tell you that, would he?” scowls Levi.

“We have to ask. Them’s the rules.” Says Connie, puffing out his chest.

“I am human.” Rumbles Erwin, and Sasha nods sharply.

“Just cut to the test already.” Says Levi with impatience.

Erwin raises an eyebrow in Levi’s direction. “They gotta test you, same as I did.” Levi tells him, as Connie leaves his post by the entrance to the camp and throws aside the curtain in the corner.

“Of course.” Erwin replies, “I was actually wondering about the Prince thing.”

Levi glowers and doesn’t reply.

Behind the curtain is a cavity in the wall through which comes the sounds of water gurgling.

“Newcomer. In order to enter the camp, you must submerge yourself.” Says Connie.

Levi rolls his eyes as Erwin moves over to the gaping space in the wall, hearing rather than seeing the stream in the darkness beyond.

“I have to fully submerge myself?” Asks Erwin, but his tone is curious, almost amused.

“Yes.” Says Connie.

“This is ridiculous and a waste of time. A splash would be perfectly-“

“Them’s the _rules,_ Prince Levi, please.” Says Sasha, willing him to understand, eyes wide. Levi huffs but doesn’t say anything more. Erwin is already removing his leather jacket.

The three Hidden watch in silence as Erwin strips.

“We didn’t technically say he had to take off his clothes.” Connie whispers to Sasha, visibly uncomfortable and awkward as Erwin starts unbuttoning his shirt.

“I mean, makes sense, he won’t spend the rest of waking hours completely soaked through.” Says Sasha, though her cheeks have become red and she’s gazing at Erwin appreciatively. “I’m fine with it…” she trails off as Erwin removes the shirt to reveal a muscled frame easily visible beneath a white undershirt. The lantern light doesn’t hide the twisted sprawl of ragged burn scars that wrap themselves like snakes around Erwin’s arms, stopping at his Adam’s apple.

Levi hears Sasha’s intake of breath. He fixes his gaze calmly on the taller man.

Erwin removes his boots but then stops there, not gracing his onlookers with any further stripping. He steps through the cavity into the water with his jeans still on. Does Levi hear Sasha release a sad sigh?

A splash and some scrabbling later, the blond man emerges, blond hair turned dark and limp with moisture, tank top sticking to his well-muscled chest. Levi blinks slowly, and for a moment, Erwin’s eyes catch his and the prince feels suddenly hot and uncomfortable around the chest.

But then the moment is over. Connie confirms aloud that the newcomer is human, who for Levi is not sure, probably more dumb rules, and soon Erwin is dressed again. Levi doesn’t envy the feeling of wet denim that Erwin’s probably experiencing.

 _Could’ve avoided that if he’d taken off his jeans as well…_ A conspiratorial voice whispers in the back of Levi’s mind.

As they pass through the entrance, Levi reaches out and grabs both Connie and Sasha’s left hands before they can salute him again. “Don’t.” Says Levi, with finality. “And don’t let me catch you gossiping next time. Guard duty is important.” They leave the room with the young guards apologising behind them.

Before them are the growing sounds of a hubbub of activity, voices singing, and the repeated peals of a hammer against stone. Erwin’s eyes are on the tunnel’s ceiling, where the dim light reveals a series of dark, circular holes set apart at regular intervals.

“Sprinklers.” Erwin murmurs to himself. “Interesting…”

But then they reach the end of the tunnel. Levi hears Erwin’s sharp intake of breath.

* * *

The Hidden have long since gathered themselves into tribes. Long ago, each tribe settled in a different realm of the strange jigsaw of their forgotten world. Before the wildfires, the Gytpian realm was the largest. The Gyptians are known for the ferocity with which they protect their land, but also for their loyalty and penchant for taking in any and all lost souls.

At the heart of what had once been the expansive Gyptian realm lies the underground cave housing the Gyptian Camp. A colourful kaleidoscope of well-darned bedsheets and roughly-sewn tarps form a pool of tents strung between stalagmites and a network of raised wooden streets. Once, most Gyptians had been nomads, preferring easy-to-pack tent dwellings that can be rolled up and carried easily.

There are maybe hundreds living here. The sounds of Gyptians at work echo around the uneven walls of the large underground space; the clatter of pots and pans by the Canteen, the giggling of children weaving between deck floors away from irate care-takers, the whistle of a pressure cooker, the gentle frothing of clothes heavy with soap being grated against a rough metal surface.

The smell of unwashed bodies is inevitable as the holes supplying air to the cave don’t provide enough air movement to fully dissipate any smell, but there is also a cosy smell of black tea and incense.

On the far side of the cavern where the clustering of tents thins out, Levi can just make out the almost-invisible off-brown fabric of his tent ‘coons suspended from the ceiling. He’s always preferred sleeping high up off the floor, away from smells and dirt, or the possibility of flooding.

Beside him, where they stand on the ledge of the cave’s entrance, he is surprised to see the open and appreciative admiration on Erwin’s face. He doesn’t know what the camp would look like to a Commoner, but he’d always thought it would seem cramped, dirty, and smelly to someone used to sunlight and endless sky.

“Tell me, Levi, what do you call this place?”

“Most people just call it the Gyptian Camp. You better not be a fuckwit and say anything insulting, people here be pretty proud to call themselves Gyptian.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. On the contrary…”

“Also, you piss off anyone, they might not decide to let you stay. Then I can’t help you. I don’t know many in the other realms.”

“Realms?”

“Yeah, y’know. The other folk. Like the rat speakers or the Shepherds.”

“You mean it’s not just this, in this place London Below?”

“Fuck no. Once, London Below was more expansive even than London Above, some reckon. But the wildfires changed that.”

Understanding dawns on Erwin’s face and his large eyebrows draw down into a sympathetic frown.

“Are you telling me that the wildfires in London Above destroy parts of London Below?”

“Yeah. They do.”

Levi can see some cogs starting to turn in the other man’s mind again.

“I’m sorry.” Says Erwin, though Levi suspects the man is tucking away that piece of information for later.

“Yeah. Aren’t we all. Come, let’s see what Nana Hutchings thinks of you.” Says Levi, leading Erwin down onto the network of rickety wooden walkways weaving between the small city of tents.

It’s only a few minutes before the whole camp seems to come to a standstill to observe them as they make their way to the Central Tent. The children especially seem completely awed by the towering, blond newcomer. One child is so distracted she completely forgets about chewing the battered ear of a stuffed bear toy, and it falls with a muffled thump onto the wooden platform below her.

Levi can hear whispering as they pass. From the snippets he manages to catch, it seems the word is already out about the Titan den they’d fought. He pays little mind, having long ago decided to ignore people’s comments about him. The last thing he’s ever wanted is to be put on a pedestal, like some legendary hero who might save them all or something. He doesn’t need that shit.

When they reach the Central Tent, it is open with most of its walls rolled up in welcome. The large tent is really a Frankenstein of smaller tents mashed together and serves as a central space for meetings and events.

A fighters’ meeting must have just finished because Jean and Hange are bickering about something just inside. Hange and Jean are the fighters' elected leaders and they make quite a comical pair. Hange looks eccentric as ever in their maroon military-style jacket with far too many brass buttons. They’ve got a complex leather belt with too many straps and pencils stuck oddly into their messy grey-streaked brown hair. Jean, on the other hand, is dressed simply in some faded jeans and a grey hoodie.

The newest, youngest fighters, Mikasa, Eren and Petra, are sprawled on a rug. While Eren and Petra chatter amiably, Mikasa is very still and quiet like a knife.

All of them fall silent when they see Levi and his companion. Hange and Jean stand and walk out of the tent cautiously, clearly surprised.

Understanding dawns on Hange’s face.

“Are you the man who fought off a Titan den with Prince Levi last week?”

“I am.” Says Erwin.

“He mentioned you rested briefly in London Below. I’m guessing you became Hidden?”

“That’s correct, yes.” Erwin seems impressed and surprised by Hange’s accurate observations.

“Well, good for you. London Above’s a cruel place anyway. Fuck the prudish bastards.” Says Hange, firmly.

Jean suppresses a laugh at the look of surprise on Erwin’s face at Hange’s frank tone.

“Interested in joining our fighters?” Hange continues. Their question is addressed to Erwin, but they glance pointedly at Levi as well.

“Definitely. I am determined to find out the truth about Titans. In addition, I believe I may have some skills and information that will be of help to the fight.”

Hange surprises them all by throwing their arms around the tall man and squealing in excitement. Erwin stumbles in shock, and then his face creases in discomfort. Hange smells like someone who doesn’t wash often enough, because they don’t.

“I have SO. MANY. THEORIES.” Says the wild-eyed Gyptian, as they cling tightly onto Erwin and start shaking in excitement.

Levi pushes Hange away from the man and stands between them, hand extended in warning.

“Later, Hange. First, Nana Hutchings should meet him.”

"She's by the Canteen." Says Jean, as he restrains Hange and leads them away. Levi is not the only one who breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone knows that when Hange gets excited they really can go on for hours, and even the strong-willed get exasperated after a while even though many of Hange’s theories are excellent.

They leave the Central Tent and make their way towards the further end of the camp where a brilliant green splattering across the rock wall and the smell of damp accompanies a small waterfall. Near the small pool that has formed at the base, an assortment of cooking and cleaning stations are gathered. The sounds of chopping and of metal against metal originate here and echo throughout the rest of the cave.

The warm, cosy smell of boiling potatoes and roasting carrots welcomes them, and many of those working stop to watch Levi and Erwin as they approach.

From behind a make-shift fabric wall, a fat, short, woman sporting an apron appears, barking orders to ‘make themselves useful’ to a couple of teenagers who had been lounging around and chatting. The woman has an authoritative presence, a small nose, and long, silky black hair tied into a firm bun at the nape of her neck. The wrinkled lines in her face give away a life of hard work.

When she spots Levi and Erwin, she stops in her tracks and crosses her arms, frowning.

“If it isn’t our dear Prince, finally getting off his lonely perch and joining us in waking hours.” She says, scathingly.

“I brought a newcomer.” Says Levi, not meeting her gaze.

“I can see that. Seems the only reason we ever see you. That, or to bring us a Titan lighter.” Levi pointedly continues to look anywhere but at her. The woman sighs, tension easing from her stance, and turns her gaze instead upon Erwin.

“So,” says Nana Hutchings, “who might you be? How did Mr. Lonely and Aloof find you?”

Erwin suppresses a smile, enjoying watching Levi squirm. “My name is Erwin Smith. Levi saved me from a Titan Den last week. I would be dead if it wasn’t for him.”

The woman’s intelligent eyes twinkle in interest. “Is that so?” Nana Hutchings shakes her head, “I’m sorry that you have fallen, Erwin Smith, but I hope you will feel welcome here. And Goddess knows we could use more fighters. If you’re willing, that is.”

“Thank you.” Erwin says earnestly, “It means a lot.” He says more quietly.

Nana Hutchings nods, satisfied.

“You’ll call me Nana, understand? Same as everyone else.” Erwin nods. “You got a ‘coon?” She asks.

“Sorry?” He replies, confused.

“Y’know, for sleeping like.”

“Oh, I see. Yes, a tent and a sleeping bag, some camping gear.”

“Good. You’re one step on the path to being Gyptian yet, boy. Levi’ll show you the ropes, won’t you Levi?” Erwin smiles. It’s been a while since he’s been called ‘boy’.

Levi glowers unhappily but nods.

“Good. Dinner’s in two. Now, off with you both.”

Levi leads him away from the waterfall area towards where the cave disappears into an unlit mess of stalactites and stalagmites like the sharp teeth of a wide mouth. He comes to a halt, suddenly unsure what to do next. He’s never brought a full-grown newcomer into the camp before, only ever lost children.

As if senses his uncertainty, Erwin says, “So, just to double-check, should I be calling you Prince Levi?”

Levi scowls. “Call me that again and I’ll kill you.”

To his surprise, Erwin laughs. It's a deep and warming sound.

“Not the type for high praise, I take it.” Says Erwin.

Levi just glares at him.

“Alright, alright. But I had to ask. Anyway, you got any recommendations for a place I should set up camp?”

“Mmm. A few. Most newcomers join one of the larger sleeping tents to start with.”

“I’d rather set up my own if that’s alright.” Erwin’s right-hand twitches upwards, almost involuntarily, and Levi wonders if he’d been about to trace the raw, jagged, burn scar at his neck.

He gets it, he prefers to sleep alone too. He doesn’t need anyone waking up as he tosses and turns and calls out in his troubled sleep. Maybe Erwin’s the same.

Levi nods. “Well, there’s a ledge halfway up the cave wall over this way. Not too far from where I bunk actually.”

Probably a good idea, he can keep an eye on the man as well. He’s already surprised Levi once. “So long as you won’t roll off it in your sleep or something.”

“That sound’s fine, thank you.”

Levi shrugs, leading the man away. He’s itching to get back to his ‘coons now. He’s suddenly tired of playing tour guide. Besides, he hasn’t spoken this much in a long time and it leaves his throat feeling scratchy and dry from lack of practise.

They climb the rickety ladder up to the ledge, each step causing it to creak ominously, especially under Erwin’s weight. When they get to the top, there’s just enough space on the platform for a tent to be set up. Levi crouches down to feel the dirt under his fingers and can almost imagine he sees familiar boot prints. He closes his eyes, remembering Furlan’s laugh when he’d clap Levi on the back for being a ‘grumpy bastard’.

He’s dead now. He won’t be needing this ledge anymore.

“I’m up there.” Says Levi, pointing up toward a set of three well-hidden pods hanging close to the cave ceiling. “Go back into the camp if you need anything. They’ll be vying for your attention, no doubt.” And before Erwin can say any more Levi spins away, leaping off the ledge with confidence.

With well-practised ease, his leap ends perfectly onto a piece of twine dangling from the ceiling, so thin it’s near invisible to spot. He uses his momentum from the leap to swing upwards, launching himself again onto another piece of twine, this one knotted evenly in places so that he can use the knots as handholds and footholds. Within minutes he’s gracefully made his way up to his ‘coons, where no one else can reach him.

Before disappearing inside, he spares a brief glance below to where Erwin’s eyes are fixed on him, mouth open in shock, eyes shining in admiration. He ignores the little thrill he feels, seeing such open praise on the newcomer’s face, and turns away.


	4. Samhain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Picadilly Circus has had electric billboards since 1923. Also, a little shout out to the legend that is Phillip Pullman - I've stolen the Gyptians from His Dark Materials.

Levi wakes before the usual sounds of teapots hissing or the smells of porridge being cooked. As usual, he hadn’t slept well. His dreams had been full of wildfire and the vacant look in Furlan’s eyes as Levi felt his life draining away between his fingers. Isabel’s presence had been close by, yet no matter how he called for her, he couldn’t see her. He wakes up irate and restless and decides he is better off getting up.

Of course, time passes differently in London Below. The inhabitants of the Gyptian camp run their days according to the lanterns that light their underground cave. From long since anyone can remember, the lanterns flare brighter during the hours considered ‘night’ in London Above and grow dimmer during ‘daylight’ hours. This naturally pushes the Gyptians to wake as night falls Above, perfect for the necessary forays for supplies for those whose eyes and skin are ill-suited to sunlight.

Levi sits up in his sleeping ‘coon and draws aside the fabric of one of the walls. His humble dwelling is really just three separate pods. One is a small, low-lying sleeping ‘coon just tall enough for him to sit upright. Another is a larger living-space ‘coon with an actual wood floor in which he can stand, get dressed, or prepare and drink tea while observing the camp below, and the third space isn’t so much of a ‘coon as a small platform hidden by a curtain with a make-shift basin.

With Furlan’s help, he’d redirected a rivulet of water that ran down the side of the cave wall so that the basin is continually filled with freshwater and the runoff redirected back down the cave wall. This ensures his need for cleanliness is always met, even if the camp’s communal showers are too busy or filthy for him to tolerate.

After swinging nimbly from his sleeping ‘coon to his living space ‘coon, he takes the time to dress whilst leaving some hot water to boil on his make-shift stove. The simple black cotton of a turtleneck and leggings slide pleasantly over his skin. Over them he slides the rougher, thicker fabric of a dark navy wrap-around. The collar is clean, cut like a kimono. Isabel had traded a keepsake to get him a similar one from a market once, and he’s liked the design ever since.

Next, he slides on a simple set of clean-cut trousers of a similar material to his wrap-around, and he ties his shoulder-length black hair into a ponytail. As he hears the kettle begin to rattle and wheeze, he can also hear the groggy yawns of the first few Gyptians rousing in the camp below.

Breathing in the steadying scent of strong, black tea, he sits on the edge of the ‘coon’s wooden floor with its sidewall rolled up and enjoys the freeing feeling of having his legs dangling into nothing. He holds his small teacup by the rim, with his delicate fingers placed evenly around the edge, and slurps pleasantly.

Running his eyes over the cave below him, he notices that he is not the only one already up. On the ledge that was once Furlan and Isabel’s, Erwin’s ‘coon already stands gaping with the flap rolled open, and the man in question is sitting, as Levi and his two friends used to, on the edge of the ledge looking out over the camp.

Levi sips too quickly and the hot tea scorches his tongue. He wrinkles his nose. For a brief moment, the rush of heat brings back memories of flames. Green flames. He shivers.

He focuses instead on the scene below him. Movement from the ledge nearby draws his eye to Erwin, who has started doing a series of stretches and exercises. There is something soothing and graceful to his practised movements despite his large build, and Levi finds the motions calming.

Watching the man from afar feels familiar and safe. It contrasts with Levi’s interactions with the man up close, which, so far, have mostly involved weapons.

The rest of waking hours, Levi maintains his distance; instead, overhearing and observing the ease with which Erwin settles into his new World. Erwin, it seems, is a people person, something Levi most definitely is not.

A gaggle of bright-eyed, drooling children follow the taller man around in awe. He makes things worse when he starts with the magic tricks. A piercing set of squeals and giggles reverberates through the whole camp as Erwin makes an endless number of pennies disappear beneath cups, into ears, into thin air.

Hange eventually manages to steal him away and they spend the better part of waking hours talking strategy whilst the fighters train. There’s a smaller cave that serves as a training arena, left empty due to the huge, sharp rock pillars at the edges. Levi, observing passively from the shadows, is impressed with Erwin’s patience with Hange, even though they keep him there for hours after the fighters have left with a mile-long rant of ideas about Titans. Erwin seems genuinely interested.

As the camp’s lanterns start to dim, Levi’s in his living-room ‘coon stringing his bow and carefully running his hands over the delicate feathers of his arrows. He’s surprised to hear his name spoken gently.

“Levi.” Erwin says, though he doesn’t call, he keeps his voice at conversational level. He knows that the smaller man can hear him. Levi sticks his head out of his ‘coon and looks down at the man who is standing on his ledge looking back at him. “Nana Hutchings _instructed_ me to join you on your hunt.”

Levi zips down to the man gracefully, frowning. “She did, did she?”

Erwin nods.

The prince rolls his eyes. “Fine. But I’m not going easy on you, got it?”

“I didn’t expect you to.” replies the taller man, eyes warm with amusement, “What are we hunting, exactly?”

“Pigeons. Obviously. What else?”

“Obviously.” Echoes Erwin, smiling though his brows are drawn in confusion.

“What weapons you got?” Levi asks him.

Retrieving his duffel bag from inside his tent, the zipper sings as it is opened.

“Seriously? You’ve only got guns? Well, that’s fucking useless.”

“What’s wrong with guns?”

“Too loud, and you always need to stock up on bullets. Useless down here. You’ll need some better shit – when the next market comes around, we’ll sort you out.”

“I see. That’s kind, thank you.”

“Whatever.” Says Levi, “You ever trained with anything else at least?”

Erwin’s eyes light up as he gazes into the distance. “Mmm,” he says, “I have.” The taller man eyes the bow slung across Levi’s back. “I’m alright with a bow, but I always had a preference for broadswords, actually. They don’t let you carry those in MI5 though.” Says Erwin, “Or the army.” He adds as an afterthought.

Levi nods. “Good. Now we’re talking. You’ll use my bow, for now, the swords will come in handy for Titans later. Come, let’s go.”

They leave the camp in search of pigeons.

* * *

It’s very odd to have company, Levi realises. Since the wildfire that took Isabel and Furlan a year ago, he’s been alone, save for Petra joining him on a couple of hunts. She’s excellent with the bow now, which Levi can’t help feeling a surge of pride about. She’s grown a lot in the years since Levi found her on the streets and took her to the Gyptians.

Erwin’s company couldn’t be more different. He’s a large man and his presence, his steps, even his breathing are far too loud. For his size, he’s surprisingly agile and is just able to follow Levi across the darkened rooftops of London, but he’s not quiet about it.

“You’re gonna have to learn to be a bit more Hidden, y’know.” He says to Erwin, as they reach a large square and settle on a large, flat expanse of roof while Levi double checks his bow and arrows.

“If you hadn’t noticed, I’m a bit bigger than you. We can’t all be stealthy ninjas.”

“Ninjas?” Asks Levi.

“Ninjas. Japanese spies, sneak around in the dark, no one ever sees them?” Levi gazes at him blankly, face lit by the large neon billboards lighting up the square. “I thought, what with the kimono and the knives, that’s what you were going for.” Erwin continues.

“I don’t know this word.”

“Well, you learn something new every day.” Erwin says, though his tone isn’t mocking.

Levi stands, ready, and leads Erwin over to the next rooftop. Several pigeons, usually flocking the square during the day, appear to be asleep, tucked under the gutter of the building across from them.

“Anyway, great spot for pigeons. Piccadilly Circus.” Erwin gestures to the square currently bathed in a violent red as a coca-cola add crosses the famous curved billboards.

“Yeah. Shame about that hideous thing though,” Levi indicates the digital billboards, “Don’t get too close to it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’ll zap you. Obviously.” Levi states.

Erwin frowns, confused. The prince ignores him and settles into a crouch on the roof edge, settling the bow comfortably in his hands, ready to draw.

“Watch.” Is all Levi says before firing. Before they can even wake or cry out, he’s shot three pigeons in the head and they fall, arrows buried in their flesh, onto a protruding window ledge below with a dull thud. The other pigeons barely stir.

Erwin’s brow is furrowed when Levi turns to face him. “Your turn.”

“But how can you see in this light?”

Levi huffs a laugh and clicks his tongue, “You’re the one who’s blind, Commoner.”

It seems like Erwin might be rolling his eyes at him, but he doesn’t protest further as he takes Levi’s bow. It’s far too small for him but he’s careful with it.

Levi turns his pale eyes on the man, watching his every movement as Erwin draws back the drawstring, and squints with one eye down the line of the arrow. His forehead wrinkles as he releases, and the loud thwack and subsequent squawking of disturbed birds indicates that the arrow has embedded loudly into the gutter, waking the birds up.

Levi smiles. Not that bad, for a Commoner.

“Again.” He says.

Several shots later, and they’re out of arrows. Erwin has not succeeded, and his frustration is evident.

“Hey,” says Levi, reaching out to hit the taller man on the shoulder, “you’re actually not doing so badly, for a blind guy.” Erwin frowns at him.

Levi swallows his amusement and quietly steps back a few meters. He takes a running leap, firing a knife bound with twine as he does so. The knife sinks deep into a heat exhaust unit and Levi flies across to the opposite rooftop. Most of the pigeons have flown off now, but he sets to work freeing the arrows and collecting the birds he’d killed at the start.

Turning, he notices a few birds have settled on the exhaust behind him, and he quickly finishes them. He slings the birds onto a piece of twine, carefully wrapping it around their throats. They are still warm and fragile in his hands.

Isabel would’ve had a fit, she always hated killing animals. That’s why he and Furlan never brought her on hunts after that first time.

But they have to eat. And pigeons are plentiful.

He slings the pigeons and bow over his back and leaps back over to Erwin who is taking in all of his movements, head tilted to one side with open curiosity.

“We’ll try again. I’d say we need about a dozen for the feast tomorrow.” Levi says.

“There’s a feast?”

“Yeah. Samhain. I thought you guys did that too, Above.”

“Samhain?”

“Yeah, y’know. The day when the living world and the spirit world are close. You have this big feast to celebrate the dead, invoke the spirits by wearing special masks.”

“I see. Perhaps that’s the older version of what we call Halloween.”

Levi peers at him again, blankly, but doesn’t comment further. Instead, he hands Erwin the bow. “Ready to go again?” The taller man nods in response.

“Good.”

There are more pigeons resting on the next roof over, this time nestled between two raised walls on the concrete surface. The birds bristle and stir in their sleep, the faint rustling of wings accompanies the sounds of shutters clattering as early-morning Commoners open shop for the day.

As they move into position, Erwin raises the bow, but Levi stops him from firing with a light hand on the man’s shoulder. Stepping lightly onto the raised section of the roof to get closer to Erwin’s height, Levi gently readjusts Erwin’s grip. His delicate hands wrap gently over Erwin’s own, shifting his positioning up the bow.

Speaking softly, Levi murmurs: “Don’t rely on your eyes. Instead, listen. Can you pick out the sounds of the birds rustling in their sleep? Focus.”

With his left hand still placed over Erwin’s, the man draws back with his right and fires. There’s some commotion, but one of the birds has been killed instantly.

“Good.” Levi says in a low voice close to Erwin’s ear. The taller man shivers and nods. Levi steps away, ignoring the way his heartbeat has picked up. He turns away from Erwin to regain his composure. Within the next ten minutes, Erwin’s killed three more birds. Levi feels his mouth pick up into a small smile at Erwin’s obvious excitement.

“Yeah yeah, don’t get too worked up or anything. You’ve still got plenty to learn.” Levi says.

After collecting the rest of the birds, Levi settles into his usual crouch on the wall of the roof, facing the huge flickering billboards of the square. Erwin stands next to him, silent, as they observe the sounds of London Above waking up. The growl of bus engines can be heard distantly, as does the sound of sweeping and the smell of bread baking.

The sky remains dark, but Levi knows that Commoners have their own time system that doesn’t depend on daylight hours or seasons.

“So,” begins Levi, “I hope you haven’t forgotten your side of the deal.”

“I have not. I owe you my life, after all.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“But you’ll have to tell me a bit more about who we’re looking for.”

Levi turns away from Erwin for a moment and closes his eyes.

“You’re right. I do.”

He can feel the taller man’s gaze on him, curious, but he doesn’t pry. Instead, he says: “If I’m going to find someone up here, in London Above, there are certain things I’ll need. Access to the internet, mainly. I somehow doubt there’s signal down in the Gyptian Camp.”

“Signal?” Levi asks, confused.

“It’s like an invisible way of connecting to a huge database of information.” Explains Erwin, seeing Levi’s expression.

The smaller man frowns, unconvinced, but says: “We’ll find a way. But come, it’ll be light soon. Tomorrow night, after the festival, I’ll take you to the place where I last saw Isabel.”

* * *

By the time Levi is up the following morning, sipping his morning tea and surveying the camp below, as usual, the flutist and lute player are already playing, and the bubble of festival excitement is already unfurling.

Every tent pole and stalagmite is garlanded in ribbons of deep maroon, golden yellow, startling turquoise. Once the Gyptians are mostly awake and stumbling from the sleeping tents towards breakfast and the wash-area, children can already be seen donning masks and screaming in delight as they startle adults.

The masks are all painstakingly and lovingly crafted. Each with its own style and character, some represent foul demons; others, peaceful spirits. As the children, and some adults, enjoy putting them on as they prepare for the feast, it starts to feel like the spirits of the World are present with them in their cosy underground home.

Levi feels strangely hollow and disconnected from his remote viewpoint over the camp. The joy of those below doesn’t seem to reach him. Samhain had been Isabel’s favourite festival.

He sits, watching, for a long time, occupying his hands with yarn. His fingers neatly weave the yarn into knots and patterns, creating strong ropes out of the feeble thread by knitting it together with his hands. Levi’s delicate fingers have always been well suited to detailed handicrafts. He likes weaving best, likes the repetitiveness.

Inevitably he makes his way down into the camp, Erwin following him down the rickety ladder from the ledge. A familiar teenager finds them almost immediately.

“Prince Levi! You’re here!” Breaths Petra with barely concealed excitement. Her open look of admiration for Levi morphs into one of uncertainty when she sees the tall figure close behind. “…And Mr. Erwin. Hello.”

“I keep my promises.” Levi says simply and Petra turns a deep scarlet as Levi fixes his pale eyes on her.

The somewhat awkward feeling as Petra stumbles over her words is broken by a child who plummets into her. Petra squeals. A herd of other small figures are close behind, each looking terrifying and other-worldly in their colourful masks.

“Oi!” Shouts Petra, “Watch it!”

The kids disappear in a fit of giggles, and more screams can be heard within the camp.

“Taking full advantage of the festival masks, I take it.” States Levi.

“Those kids are such a menace.” Petra says fondly. “Anyway, I uh, well, what I wanted to say is that I made you something.” She ducks into a nearby tent and emerges with a bulky, dark green bundle. As she hands it to Levi, her face turns impossibly redder.

“Um. Anyway, I hope you like it – I should be rounding up those kids.”

Levi unravels it, feeling Erwin’s eyes on him over his shoulder. It’s one of the many ponchos Petra is so fond of knitting. It’s not her usual, colourful style, instead, it’s a deep, forest green, the kind that might be great camouflage in a natural setting. The wool is scratchy but Petra’s sewn a softer cloth along the inside to make the garment warmer and more comfortable. It smells of wood-smoke and the Gyptian Camp.

“Petra. I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” Levi says, and he means it.

“Of course. We’re friends, aren’t we? I’ll catch you at the feast in a bit.” She says, running a hand through her silky hair and moving to leave. “Erwin.” She nods at him as she leaves.

The two men watch her go.

“So you do have friends.” Says Erwin with a smile.

“I never said I didn’t.”

“You said you worked alone.”

“I do work alone.”

“I think she likes you.”

Levi sighs. “Yeah, I think she might. But I’m close to twice her age. And besides,” Levi peers at Erwin, something cautious in his expression, “I’ve never really been interested in women _._ ” He looks at Erwin sharply, as if daring him to comment.

The taller man’s eyes widen in understanding. He nods.

“I see.”

“You say that a lot.”

“I do?”

“You do. Anyway, Nana will have our necks if we don’t help prepare the feast.”

Erwin’s feet leave the rickety board walks creaking in his wake. Levi’s footsteps are so light they barely make a sound.

“So, what is the usual course of events during this festival?” asks Erwin.

“Eat. Dance. Tell stories. Celebrate. Fuck. The usual.” Replies Levi. “Oh, and we go down into the sacred lake after eating. Quite a big deal. Only happens once a year.”

“Sacred Lake?”

* * *

There is a place revered amongst all Hidden. A special, sacred place said to be the heart of London Below. There are few nights when the sacred place appears to the Hidden and welcomes them in, and Samhain is one of them. On this night, the veil between the living and the spirit world becomes thin.

The heart of London Below is a huge cavern full of water that glows with an otherworldly blue. The multicoloured rock forming the ceiling twists itself into a great cathedral-like structure with huge vaulted arches and spiraling columns of stone. Each drop of water that falls from the intricate ceiling hits the serene lake below and ripples so that the cave is full of delicate music.

Though each realm knows this night by different names and marks it with different customs, they all gather together here as the night reaches the darkest hour. The great lake is shallow in the centre of the cavern, and a series of ancient, crumbling bridges connect each realm to this central platform.

First comes the rat speakers in their bedraggled clothes, each bearing a ceremonial shoulder-padding on which sits the royal family of rodents. Second, comes the courts of both the Earl and the Baron, recently united through marriage, all draped in their richest finery: “Mind the Gap” t-shirts and “I <3 London” hoodies. Then come the Shepherds of Shepherds Bush, terrifying and solemn as ever as they tower over everyone else in their long, hooded cloaks of red and black. And there are many others, people (and not-quite-people) of all ages and walks of life and ways of living.

The Gyptians are last to arrive, bellies full, masks in place, ears ready, and hearts open.

Together, the Hidden of London Below stand at the heart of their beloved World and celebrate the beautiful lives of those lost to the wildfires. As a respectful, low singing begins, the three bridges that stand broken and vacant, their realms now gone, are a painful reminder.

Levi and Erwin stand near the back, where the waters of the great lake start becoming deeper. They both stand with the water up to their ankles, heads bowed along with the others as the leaders of each realm come forward with stories and words of remembrance.

From where they stand, Levi can’t hear the words being said as they are lost in the vast expanse of the cavern. He hears only the music of a thousand falling droplets reverberating with an other-worldly echo. The water beneath them glows and Levi finds himself staring into it, feeling distant and strange.

He can’t see his reflection, only the warmth of the lake’s blue iridescence. Slowly, the people around him seem to fade, as if he’s becoming further and further away. A tingling begins in his fingertips and spreads slowly to the rest of his body.

And then: _“Levi.”_ Says a familiar voice.

Beside him stands Furlan.

Levi gasps in shock. “You’re dead.”

Furlan nods. He reaches out to cup a hand around Levi’s cheek. Levi shivers and finds tears in his eyes. _“Levi.”_ His old friend says again, but his expression now is one of fear, and as he fades and shimmers in the strange ethereal light Levi is hit with a strong feeling of urgency and danger.

Suddenly his surroundings disappear, and Levi is in the familiar darkness of the underground tunnels. Before him, Furlan is glowing with the same blue of the great lake’s water. He turns and runs slowly, as if in a dream, and it’s all Levi can do to follow. “Furlan, wait!” Levi’s legs move as if through molasses. Strange, haunting groans reach him through the walls.

Then, out of nowhere, Levi falls.

He falls into a void.

There is nothing but blinding white emptiness in every direction.

Not even darkness, or death, just nothing.

It’s terrifying. The whole world doesn’t exist.

There is nothing.

But from somewhere within the void Levi sense something twisting, like emptiness attempting to scream. There is something in there, in the void. Something that wants to destroy the whole world.


	5. Outcasts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to get wild.  
> Warnings for smut. There'll be smatterings of smut from here on out. (Levi is in his late 20s, Erwin's 38, so they're both consenting adults.)

Levi suddenly wakes up.

He’s breathing heavily and a cold sweat covers his body. He’s completely tense and his blood is racing with adrenaline like he’s been fighting.

Someone’s arms are wrapped around him.

Levi’s holding onto that person for dear life, his hands twisted into their shirt, but his vision is blurry, and he can’t see clearly. The surface beneath him feels soft and padded.

“…Levi. Hey, Levi. Can you hear me? Levi…” He is aware of a voice calling to him, but it’s muffled and distant.

“Furlan?” Levi tries to sit up.

 _The void. It’ll consume as all. I have to find Isabel._ It feels like his thoughts are shouting at him. He feels like running, like screaming.

“We’ve got to stop it. The thing in the void. We have to.” He hears a voice say. Is it his own? Is it Furlan’s?

With a crash, the World knocks back into focus like something heavy being dropped on his head. A warm light. Colourful drapes. The steadying smell of tea nearby. He must be back in the Gyptian Camp.

“Levi!?” says Erwin urgently, blue eyes scanning his face. Levi’s eyes focus and he realises Erwin’s the one who’s got him. The man’s face fills his vision, his expression tense, concerned, fearful. His arms are solid. The man is solid. His presence is grounding.

He blinks and pulls himself up and out of the man’s arms, sitting up, still bleary, eyes still unfocused.

“Here,” Someone says, “Drink this.” A teacup finds its way into his hands. He drinks in its warmth and comforting smell. There are several others in the tent. Mikasa was the one who handed him tea. He nods appreciatively and takes a sip. The tea is black and strong, with a hint of ginger.

Hange, Jean, and Petra make up the rest of the little group.

“The others are still in the sacred cave,” says Hange, “But we thought we’d bring you back, you were shivering real bad.”

“Thanks.” Levi says, pointedly not looking at Erwin. It dawns on him that Erwin probably carried him back. He decides immediately not to think about it.

“Levi,” starts Hange in a concerned tone, “What did you see? While you were out, you were talking. You mentioned something in the void. Was it about the Titans?”

The prince sips loudly.

“It was Furlan.” Levi takes a deep breath, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. “He was trying to show me something. It seemed important. All I felt was terror, I think it was his terror.”

He takes another long gulp of the scorching tea.

“What was that theory you had about what happens after a wildfire, Hange?” Levi says. His voice sounds paper-thin.

“That there is nothing. Just a void.”

“And no one who’s ventured into the realms lost to wildfire has returned, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Cup empty, Levi places it on a desk nearby and shifts on the bed of blankets so he can rest his face on his hands. He stares at the floor, eyes unfocused as he tries to understand.

“I think what Furlan was showing me was one of those voids. There was just nothing, not even darkness, just a blinding, endless white. And it was terrifying. I thought I didn’t exist. It was like nothing existed. Not Death, but not Life either. A complete vacuum.”

Hange and the others share a look of concern.

“And Hange,” Levi whispers, deathly quiet, voice wavering in fear, “there was something in that void. Something that wanted to consume everything.”

They sit in silence for a while.

Mikasa hands around more tea. Hange and Jean move to the other side of the tent and begin talking rapidly in lowered voices. Eventually, the familiar clattering of feet on wooden planks signals the return of the rest of the Gyptians.

Levi is silent as the tent becomes more crowded. Nana Hutchings and many other fighters have joined them, and all are brought up to speed on Levi’s vision. From his seat on the pile of blankets, he simply listens and watches, willing his heart rate to slow down.

“…Erwin’s right we need to be joining forces with the other realms, we should train harder than ever, we need all hands on deck…”

“…what is this new threat? There’s something in the voids left by wildfire? How can we possibly fight that...”

“…it’s only a matter of time before our realm is in flames too. What will we do if a wildfire starts here? We’re not prepared…”

He finally zones in when he hears his name mentioned.

“…but with Levi’s help, we can keep them away, train the new recruits.”

He finally can’t bear it and stands. Nana Hutchins and Erwin, who had been right beside him engaged in conversation, stop to look at him. He makes to move past them, but the older woman blocks his way.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“I have to find Isabel.”

She looks at him in confusion. “ _Prince_ Levi. We gave you that title for your services defending us. Right now, we need you here, doing exactly that.”

“No.” Says Levi, and Nana Hutchings looks shocked. The others in the room stop to observe their confrontation. “She wasn’t there in the world beyond, it was just Furlan. If she was dead, she’d be with him, I’m sure of it. I must find her, especially if there is a new danger that we don’t understand.”

“But Levi, we can’t spare you! Don’t you understand, the _whole_ of London Below is at risk, perhaps even more than it was before!”

Levi stands firm, face set in determination as he stares at the older woman.

She shakes her head, but her posture gives away her frustration and anger. “If you do this, Levi, if you leave us now in our time of need just as you have left us every night for the last year, I’m afraid I can no longer call you Gyptian.”

He looks to the floor, fists clenched. The tent has gone silent, each face turned to watch them.

“One week.” Erwin says, suddenly.

“What?” says Nana, turning to look at the man.

“Give us one week to find Isabel. If we haven’t by then, we’ll come back and we won’t dwell on it any longer.”

“Oh, so you’re signing up now, are you?”

“I am, yes. I’m his best shot at finding her. I know London Above well.”

Nana Hutchings stands with her arms folded and takes in both of them: Levi, face set in a determined scowl like a wild animal set to pounce and Erwin standing tall and respectful like a good soldier. She clucks her tongue.

“You have one week. Then, I expect both of you to be here helping us prepare for war. Because this is war now, if the spirits have sent us a warning, and I won’t lose anyone else to those wildfires or those Titans. We need you both.”

“Yes, Nana.” The pair reply in unison.

“But if you don’t return in one week,” the older woman continues, tone dark and firm, “don’t call yourselves Gyptians no longer.”

* * *

Packing up their ‘coons doesn’t take long. Before they know it, they’re making their way through the pitch-black labyrinth of tunnels leaving the Camp.

Levi doesn’t say a word to Erwin or even acknowledge that he’s there the whole way through the dark passages of London Below. Their footsteps echo around the small walls, but otherwise, there is only the occasional exclamation from Erwin as he hits his head on a series of low ceilings.

Finally, they stumble out into the open air with some relief. The ground sinks underfoot, and the peals of seagulls ring out close by. The honking of ducks and some splashing reveals, at the same time that their eyes adjust to the pale light of pre-dawn, that they have emerged by the river Thames.

Levi continues on his march, ignoring Erwin’s presence.

“So that’s it? You’re not going to say anything?” The taller man says, matching Levi’s stride.

“What is there to say, that you’re an idiot?”

“Excuse me? You should be thanking me.”

Levi snorts. “Thanking you for what? You just signed your own death sentence. Should’ve just kept your mouth shut like a good boy.”

Erwin huffs something like a laugh. “Wow. Ok. You really are stupid, aren’t you?”

Levi stops. In the warm purple light as the tendrils of morning sneak in across the river, he’s sure Erwin can see how angry he is.

“Stupid!? I’m not _fucking_ stupid, all right? I told you from the start, I work alone. I get it. No one cares about finding Isabel. Fine. I’ll find her myself. _You’re_ the one who’s stupid for signing up. You could’ve just stayed, found out the ‘truth about the Titans’ and all that noble crap. But _no,_ you just had to say something.” Levi’s hands are twitching at his sides now, and he clenches and unclenches them in agitation.

“I owe you, remember? This deal was _your_ idea if I recall. How would I help you find Isabel if you had gotten yourself banished? You should thank me for stepping in. Now we can find her _and_ stay in the Camp and fight Titans.”

Erwin’s words have the opposite effect than he was hoping, and Levi lashes out at him with a shout. The taller man easily catches Levi’s fist, but the prince breaks out of his grasp. As he aims a series of punches at Erwin, who blocks all of them with an irritatingly calm demeanor, Levi shouts:

“I. Don’t. Need. Anyone’s. Help.” He spits between hits.

“Levi.” Erwin says, voice sharp in warning and restrained frustration.

Levi shouts again, ducking under Erwin’s arm and aiming for a kick.

“Would you stop fucking _hitting_ me. Levi!” The taller man’s voice takes on a commanding tone but somehow it just fuels the prince on faster.

As he swings his leg around to knock Erwin over, the taller man grabs his ankle and tackles Levi to the ground. The pair scuffle in the sand for several minutes, even though Levi understands pretty quickly that there’s no escaping Erwin’s strong grip. Around them, the morning chorus is getting into full swing, and the birds are completely impervious to the two men’s activities.

They pause. A long moment passes where they both pant for breath. Erwin’s looking at him intensely, brow furrowed, both hands wrapped around Levi’s wrists and body pinning him down.

Levi growls at him, “Stop looking at me like that you piece of-“

Erwin kisses him.

The kiss is brief and hard and Erwin pulls away quickly, looking at him with a look that is both a challenge and a question.

Growling low, Levi reaches up to take Erwin’s lips back in his mouth and he _bites_ at the chapped, pink skin. Erwin moves against him, somehow pushing the smaller man further into the soft floor and he opens up the kiss so that their tongues slide wetly against each other. Levi can hear the blood pounding in his ears and Erwin’s making a noise that makes him shiver involuntarily as the taller man redirects his attention to Levi’s neck.

Levi strains against Erwin where the man has him pinned, kicking out with his legs, and suddenly Erwin’s released him and they roll, scuffling, kicking, biting, kissing, growling, pressing open mouths to exposed skin.

They settle with Levi straddling Erwin, and his small hands find Erwin’s cock through his jeans, already straining. As Levi makes quick work of the zipper, draws him out, and starts stroking him roughly, Erwin’s head falls back onto the sand and he groans a simple “Fuck.”

A large hand fists into the back of Levi’s hair, still loose, and draws him down into another desperate, messy kiss as Erwin’s other hand gropes Levi through his trousers, making quick work of the fastenings. Soon, Levi’s spitting into a palm and trying to wrap a hand around both of them together, cursing as he realises his hand is too small.

He feels Erwin smile into his neck and takes over, covering both of their cocks and Levi’s small hand with his own much larger palm. Together the writhe into each other, savouring the friction and the thrill of taking each other, still mostly clothed, under the brightening sky.

It doesn’t take long. The second Levi nips Erwin’s ear with his teeth the man is gone, and the sight of Erwin, usually so composed, convulsing with his orgasm, is enough to bring Levi along with him.

After, they breathe heavily, exhalations condensing in the chilled, early morning air. Levi still has his hand fisted into Erwin’s shirt, now stained at the bottom where they’ve both come on Erwin’s stomach.

Silently, Levi pulls a cloth from within his many-pocketed coat and wipes them both down.

They make themselves presentable and Levi slips down to the river, rinsing the cloth lightly in the water. As he makes his way back to Erwin, he ties his hair back and suddenly feels very tired. The sky is multicoloured above them, the rising sun catching clouds and lighting them on fire in pinks and purples, and they distantly hear the grumbling of a boat engine approaching.

Erwin sits on the sand, his cheeks flushed, pointedly not looking at Levi.

Levi, also pointedly not looking at the other man, occupies himself with picking up his pack, long since dropped whilst he’d been attacking Erwin and looks up at the sky instead.

The taller man’s awkwardness is loud. Levi ignores it and says, “We should go. The sun’ll be on us soon and you don’t want to find out how quickly I burn.”

Shrugging his pack onto his back, Levi turns without another word to continue walking along the river. Erwin run’s a hand over his short, cropped hair and sighs loudly.

“Fuck.” He hears Erwin say.


	6. The Search Begins

When the prince pulls himself out of sleep, it’s to find himself shivering. Blinking blearily, he can see that the short November daylight hours are over and the world outside is blessedly dark. The temperature’s dropped away with the sun.

He hears a set of heavy footsteps and the scratching sound of a match. A flickering, warm light spills through the thin fabric of his sleeping ‘coon. Emerging, stiff and cold, he jumps down the short distance to the ground and joins Erwin by the fire.

The crumbling railway bridge under which they’ve set up camp is sad and decrepit in the wavering light. Long forgotten, the bridge is a little island of London Below, and being on the river makes them doubly safe from Titans.

Levi had suspended his ‘coon from the crossbeams of the bridge’s underbelly so that it swings gently in the night breeze, whilst Erwin had set up his two-man tent on the bird-shit stained floor.

“I don’t know how you can sleep on the ground.” Levi says as he squats by the fire. Erwin hands him an apple.

“Warmer and more solid than swinging around in that hammock of yours.” Erwin says in response.

“It’s a ‘coon, Commoner, get it right.” Levi takes a bite of the apple with a wet crunch. It’s bitter and bruised, the kind best used for cooking, but he’s not complaining.

“So.” Says Erwin, clearing his throat.

Levi looks at him, eyebrow raised. Erwin throws his own apple back and forth between his hands, but he swallows whatever he was about to say and looks into the fire, moving close to warm himself with its flames.

“Never mind.” He says quietly. “Anyway. You told me you’d take me to the place you last saw Isabel?”

Levi hums in affirmation.

They eat their apples, and Levi tries to ignore the way Erwin is itching to ask a range of questions but seems to discard each one. In the end, they sit in silence for a long time.

Eventually, Erwin asks: “Who’s Furlan?”

Levi sighs, still looking into the fire.

“Furlan and Isabel were the closest thing I had to family.” Levi says softly. “We grew up together, we became Gyptians together, we became fighters together.”

The prince’s eyes are wide and sad. The wide, pale irises catch the reflection of the flickering flames. An owl hoots forlornly from the overgrown warehouses across the river.

“Furlan died,” says Levi, “just over a year ago now.”

“I’m sorry.” Says Erwin.

Levi shrugs. “It is what it is.”

A chilled breeze flows past them and the pair shiver. Levi buries his hands beneath his poncho whilst Erwin zips up his leather jacket all the way to the top. The wind through the broken slats of the bridge sounds like the forlorn moaning of a forgotten spirit.

“Is that when Isabel disappeared?”

Grey eyes meet Erwin’s briefly. “Yeah. Same wildfire. ‘bout a year ago.”

Erwin hums, holding his hands out to warm them on the fire.

“I don’t pray,” Levi says quietly, “but if I did, I’d pray that wherever she is, that at least she’s still herself. Still human.”

“Is that why you raid Titan Dens the way you do? Looking for her?”

“Yes.” Levi replies, voice barely a whisper. “I don’t know what I’d do if I found her one day, but found her turned into one of those _things.”_ He shivers, and Erwin makes a move as if to reach out and comfort him but thinks better of it.

They stare into the fire. “Do you know how they do it? Change people?” Says Erwin.

“No.” Levi takes out a knife and begins idly to hack away at some twigs before feeding the smaller pieces to the flames. Improbably, he laughs. The sound is dark, almost manic. “All this _fucking_ time and you know what? We know _fuck all.”_ He punctuates the last two words by viciously breaking wood with a snap.

Eventually, the fire dies and they let it. Levi stands and stretches out his stiff limbs.

“Come, I’ll take you to the place I last saw Isabel.” Levi murmurs, so quietly Erwin can barely hear it.

 _And the place where Furlan died,_ Levi doesn’t say.

* * *

Charlton is a sad part of town. Once, it had been a busy, riverside industrial area. Now, the red-brick warehouses and skeletal rusted cranes rot quietly out of existence. One day soon, the place is doomed to become infested with the kind of edgy housing developments that have carefully planned shrubbery and vegan cafes.

The tunnel out of London Below emerges by the river, and even though it’s not that late and there are plenty of Londoners crowding the pubs elsewhere, this part of the city stands silent. There is only the hum of electric fencing surrounding the few warehouses still in use. Levi instinctively shies away from the bright floodlights accompanying those fences.

They stay close to the river as they make their way past the warehouses. As they reach a bend in the river, Erwin comes to a halt. Levi turns to him, “Something wrong?”

The man’s eyes are wide as if in realisation. “What’s this neighbourhood called?”

“Charlton.”

Erwin turns, hiding his expression from the prince. “I see.”

“That mean something to you?”

The taller man turns back, mask back in place though Levi thinks he detects something sad and heavy to the way Erwin is carrying himself. “It’s a long story.” He says.

Levi tilts his head to one side, assessing Erwin with a frown. They continue walking, feet quiet on the paved riverside path. “Your stories are yours and yours alone to tell. Us Hidden, we’re not in the business of asking ‘bout people’s histories, yeah?”

He sees Erwin nod out of the corner of his eye. “Appreciated.”

“Wouldn’t be right otherwise. We’re almost there.”

They duck under a willow tree with its branches reaching for the water. Turning a corner, they are met with the sight of a boarded-up, crumbling warehouse with faded, white lettering reading: ‘HOVIS: a slice of life’. The building hasn’t recovered from the fire, and its walls and much of the ground surrounding it is charred and still black with soot.

The flimsy plywood boards keeping the area sealed off are decorated with highly intellectual graffiti (enlightening messages such as ‘David’s mother is a pussy eater’ or ‘suck my fat dick’). They hop over with ease.

Levi moves, eyes transfixed, towards a gaping archway in the warehouse wall where a door had once been. He stares at a spot on the floor just outside. As he reaches it, he kneels into a crouch slowly, reaching out a hand to touch the dirt there. He clutches his left fist over his heart, mumbling a prayer to the Goddess. Closing his eyes, he lets himself remember Furlan, remembering his laugh rather than the moment he’d died.

Erwin’s footsteps crunch as he moves away, giving the prince space.

After kneeling respectfully for a while, he stands and hears the taller man’s heavy footsteps move away. The steps get fainter as Erwin moves around the area and Levi knows the man’s probably taking everything in. After some time, Erwin emerges through the archway closest to him and nods. “I’ve seen enough.”

“Good,” says Levi, “I’d rather not stay too long.” Erwin’s expression is sympathetic.

//

“Do you have a more exact date for the night of the wildfire?” Erwin asks as they’re making their way back across London.

“Two full moons before last year’s Samhain.”

Erwin frowns in concentration for a moment, probably translating into his own calendar, and then nods. “Ok, I can work with that. Did you find any clues at the time?”

Levi shakes his head. “Not a trace.”

“Ok, that’s not the end of the world. I have some theories.”

“Yeah?” Levi asks, tone almost hopeful.

The taller man hums in response. “But first, there’s something very important I need to get.”

“What?”

“Wait here.”

Levi growls impatiently but does as he’s told. It’s ass o’clock now and most of London near the river is quiet. The all-night bars and clubs are further away, and Levi has the itching desire to go and find them and lose himself in the thrum of bodies and mind-numbing music. He kicks the bottles and litter on the bank of the river idly, feeling a sense of satisfaction as a glass bottle smashes against a tree when he kicks it too hard.

He shivers as a breeze blows past. Somehow, he ends up thinking of the tussle with Erwin the morning before. He feels an echo of something nervous and heated just thinking about it.

Attempting to re-direct his thoughts and sensing that over-analysing the situation is probably a bad idea, he leaves the beach and quickly makes his way onto the rooves of the houses overlooking the water. Levi perches on the rough tiles, feeling more comfortable to be high up, watching the world below.

After about twenty minutes, Erwin reappears. In the gentle glow of the streetlamps, his face is darkened in shadow, but he still holds himself like a soldier, like a commander, like somebody who could get you through anything. Levi finds himself swallowing loudly.

He can tell when Erwin spots him because he nods in Levi’s direction, turns, and keeps walking along the river. Levi follows along the rooftops, enjoying the familiar feeling of being unrestrained and up high, before inevitably twirling easily to the ground to join the taller man.

Soon, they’re back at their camp under the forgotten bridge. The tide is low so it’s easy to hop over to the island and the splashing of their footsteps breaks the stillness of the night. The clouds part briefly to reveal a slim crescent moon which gazes at them lazily

Erwin collapses with a groan against the bridge’s concrete pillar, reaching into his backpack to reveal the treasures he’s obtained.

“Alcohol? Alcohol is the important thing you needed to get?” Levi asks, cynical.

“That is correct, yes. Want some? I also got some sandwiches.”

Levi looks around, contemplating, and then sits, joining Erwin against the pillar. It’s not completely dark. A string of streetlamps provides just enough light for them to see each other.

The prince rips open a sad, triangular packet claiming to be a ham and cheese sandwich. “So, these theories.” He asks though it sounds more like a statement.

“Yes.” Says Erwin, claiming a BLT, “Assuming that Isabel isn’t dead, there’s two main reasons why she hasn’t returned to London Below. First, because someone or something is physically stopping her. And second, because for some reason she can’t find her way back.”

“Yeah, so much so obvious, I’d thought you’d have something more useful than that.”

“I’m getting to it, I’m getting to it, hold your horses.” Erwin makes quick work of the sandwich, somehow managing to speak between mouthfuls. “I think the most likely possibility is the second. You said yourself that you raided countless Titan dens and didn’t find her, so let’s say she’s not with the Titans or being held by them. So, why might she be unable to find her way back?”

“You tell me.” Levi makes a face as he chews. Too much mayonnaise.

“Well, look at what happened to me after I spent just a short amount of time in London Below. I disappeared from London Above. What if the inverse is somehow true?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what if she passed out from the smoke or something, and was taken to a hospital like a normal Commoner would be, and spent too much time up here while she recovered, so that by the time she could leave she’d sort of forgotten who she had been?” Erwin says, tossing the empty sandwich carton into his backpack. “What if she just forgot about London Below?”

Levi frowns, tossing his empty sandwich carton into the backpack with Erwin’s.

He reaches for the bottle on the ground between them and opens it. The plastic screw cap grates as he opens it. He takes a swig, nose wrinkling in distaste, and hands it to Erwin who does the same.

Levi rests his head back against the solid wall of the bridge’s pillar. “You could be right. It makes sense. And it’s not like any of this is an exact science. We don’t know much about how it works the other way. We were all Commoners once, after all. But the other way, Commoners who were once Hidden…”

They’re silent for a while. The low water laps soothingly against their concrete, hidden island.

And then: “This is really shit gin, Erwin.”

“Yeah, sorry.” Erwin replies sheepishly, “I know shit about liquor.”

“Why d’you get this then?”

“I used to be a beer man, but liquor is faster. Haven’t been drinking liquor long enough to know the difference between good and bad.”

“Come on, you must have enough years on you to know shit gin from decent gin.” Levi says, teasing. “What are you anyway, forty?”

“Ouch. Well, I guess I nearly am. I’m thirty-eight.” Erwin sounds weary. “And you?”

“I think I’m about thirty.”

“You don’t know?”

“No. Most of us who became Hidden as kids don’t know.”

“Ah. I guess that makes sense. I thought you were younger, anyway.”

“Why? Do little boys turn you on, old man?”

Erwin doesn’t say anything; instead, he snatches the bottle from Levi’s hands. Levi can almost imagine him flushing from the accusation. The prince smiles a small smile.

The taller man mimics Levi and rests his head against the wall, forearms resting on his knees, swinging the bottle idly. “It might be shit gin, but I needed this.” Erwin sighs eventually.

“Yeah.” Levi replies. It’s been quite a week.

The prince looks at Erwin steadily in the dim light. The slim light of the moon just catches his face from one angle, and a streetlamp bathes the other side in a warm orange. The man’s eyes are unfocused, something so sad in his expression that Levi feels an unfamiliar desire to reach out to him.

 _Fuck it,_ Levi thinks, and does exactly that.

Erwin starts when Levi’s hand gently touches his cheek. Cautiously, giving the taller man plenty of time to pull away if he wants to, Levi turns Erwin’s face towards him. The man’s blue eyes are dark in the shadows and suddenly Levi can’t bear the sadness and the weariness in Erwin’s expression anymore.

He pulls Erwin into a kiss.

The kiss is light and chaste, completely at odds with the rough treatment the day before. Erwin’s mouth tastes of alcohol, but it’s also soft and warm. After their lips touch, Levi pulls away a little, and they rest for a while with their foreheads pressed together, breathing in the same air, Levi’s hand still cupped around Erwin’s jaw, grounding him.

The taller man moves in, capturing Levi’s lips once more. This kiss is longer and wetter, and then Erwin opens his mouth and takes Levi’s tongue between his lips. A large hand comes up and cups the back of the prince’s neck so that they’re both cradling each other gently, mouths insistent.

Levi stills when the kiss grows more heated and Erwin’s hand starts moving lower.

“This ok?” Erwin asks.

“Yeah. Actually. It’s just-“ Levi might be blushing, but the darkness hides it, “Neither of us has showered in two days.”

“Good point.”

They draw apart and sit as they had before, side by side against the pillar, bathed in shadows. Except now, they’re closer, and their sides are pressed against each other. Levi can feel the heat from Erwin’s body and the gentle rhythm of his breath and heartbeat close by. It’s not unpleasant.

Eventually, they stand.

“Well…um, goodnight.” Levi says awkwardly, the word feeling strange in his mouth.

“Wait-“ Erwin stops him from disappearing into his ‘coon with a firm hand on his forearm. He takes a step closer and bends down, his other hand coming up to tip Levi’s chin towards him.

Erwin kisses Levi gently.

“Goodnight.” The taller man says.

Levi shivers and reluctantly pulls himself out of Erwin’s grasp and towards sleep.

* * *

_Furlan’s body in his arms. Green flames everywhere. Isabel’s voice calling to him, but Furlan’s body is too heavy and he can’t move. His friend’s body disintegrates into thousands of tiny worms crawling over him. Isabel is shouting now. He turns and he’s in the void. Something in it is shaking, screaming, rattling. The world is rattling. The world is falling down around him-_

Levi wakes with a start to the sound of a metallic groan of rusty metal above him.

The next moment he’s falling.


	7. Daylight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times incoming. You have been warned. Erwin's into dirty talk. Levi likes it when he's called 'Prince' in the bedroom.

The bridge above them is falling apart.

Levi hears a tremendous groan and his ‘coon suddenly plummets to the ground. He cries out in pain, impact shaking through his body. He’s suffocating in the folds of fabric wrapped around him and he realises with a startling pain that he can’t move his right leg. It must be pinned under some debris from the fallen bridge. The ground is still shaking and there’s a huge, terrifying wail as more of the bridge falls and disappears into the river with a great splash.

“Levi!” He hears Erwin’s desperate voice shouting.

“I’m here!” He shouts in response. There’s a ripping sound as the fabric of the ‘coon is torn apart and Levi is blinded by startling daylight. There’s the sound of further metal creaking as if more might fall. The prince blinks and watches in horror as the final remains of the bridge start to lean dangerously towards him where he’s still trapped under debris.

“Hurry! My leg, it’s stuck!” Levi shouts urgently to Erwin, who is desperately trying to dig him out from the tangle.

The prince sucks in a gasp as a large metal crossbeam starts sliding further and further towards them, prepared to fall at any moment while Erwin heaves at the metal pinning Levi’s leg.

Wincing in frustration and pain, Levi just manages to wriggle free, and he hears Erwin shout, the groaning of metal snapping and coming apart above, and then he’s being bodily tackled into the river. The world disappears with a shock as he hits the cold, dark water.

Levi splutters when he comes up for air. He’s not the best swimmer and the blinding daylight stings his eyes. It’s high tide, so the river is full, and the murky water touches the floodwalls on either bank. It’s a swirling mess, and he’s aware of the thrumming of boats not far away.

Blinking the water out of his eyes and trying to stay afloat, he spots Erwin heading for shore and manages to follow. A rusting ladder leads up the wall out of the river and it squeaks as Erwin climbs it.

When they make it onto the pavement of the riverside embankment, Levi collapses on the ground, shaking. Erwin stands, peering back desperately at the bridge. Or what used to be the bridge.

“It’s gone.” Erwin says, shocked. “Even the island has disappeared.” He shakes his head.

Levi sits up and starts peeling off his sodden outer layers. He’d slept wearing the poncho Petra had made him and the wool is heavy with water. Ignoring the way he’s already shivering in the cold afternoon air, he checks his knives: he’d only slept with half of them tucked into his sleeves, and a couple strapped to his thigh. The rest have disappeared with the bridge. He curses.

Rolling up the soaked material of his trousers, he finds that the area around his right ankle is heavily bruised with a light gash like a red smile across the skin, but nothing that won’t heal.

“It’s not broken, at least. But my knives. My ‘coon as well…” Levi and Erwin stare at each other and turn to look at where the bridge once was.

“Well, fuck.” Erwin says simply. “I guess it was a pretty old bridge.”

“No.” Says Levi, “London Below has a way of keeping things preserved. Even old structures like that bridge don’t just fall down and disappear like that. There’s some Roman structures that look the same as they were two thousand years ago.”

“Levi, if you’re saying what I think you’re saying, does this mean that London Below could be falling apart?” Erwin looks at him, expression anxious.

“I don’t know. But if it is, we are all even more fucked than we thought.” Levi ends his sentence with a particularly hard shiver.

Erwin sighs, peeling off his damp leather jacket and shaking it out. “Ok, well. We need to get dry, and maybe get some new clothes at least, before anything else.” Levi curls himself into a ball, whilst the taller man takes in their surroundings with a calculating expression.

“I think this is Hammersmith…” He frowns.

Suddenly his face lights up as he settles on a plan. “I know where we can go,” he peers at the sky, “it must be afternoon, it’ll be busy but that’ll make it easier to slip in unnoticed.”

“Whatever you say,” Levi says, “Let’s just get out of this fucking sunlight already.” He gets up and they start a fast pace to keep from shivering, heading away from the river and towards the sounds of traffic.

“Most Commoners consider this to be quite grey and overcast, actually.” Erwin says, indicating the clouds overhead. Levi hisses at him like an angry cat. He’s wrapped his dripping poncho over his head like a soggy hood to shield his eyes and skin from the light.

Even sodden and strange looking as they must be, they’re still almost invisible to the people they pass. The people of London Above are just aware enough of their presence to move aside for them on the pavements, but beyond that their gaze just slides off them. There’s a fair number of people around and Levi hates it.

He hates how many other bodies are nearby, he hates the bright light, even though it’s _overcast_ as Erwin pointed out. He hates the grime, mud, and blood he can feel on his wet skin. He hates that he’s lost some of his precious knives. He hates that he’s lost his ‘coon.

The walk from the river to the destination Erwin has in mind seems to take forever and by the end, Levi’s ready to rip someone’s throat out. Luckily, Erwin seems to have picked up on Levi’s mood and keeps his mouth shut.

Hearing an increased number of squealing children, Levi narrows his eyes. As they approach a large brick building, he can hear a great deal of wet splashing and the echo of voices bouncing off tiles. Then he smells chlorine.

“A _swimming pool,_ Erwin?! Really?” Levi says.

“Hey, they’ll definitely have hot showers, towels, and clothes, right?”

Levi shivers, proving Erwin’s point. The taller man smirks at him. He glowers in response. “Fine.”

* * *

“This is the worst.” Levi snarls.

"Well, you’re the one who wouldn’t take the black jumper because it smelled.”

“It _did_ smell.”

“Then shut up.”

They’re drinking hot chocolates out of Styrofoam cups with plastic lids. They’ve found a park bench by the river. After sneaking into the pool to use the showers, they'd stolen dry clothes from the 'lost and found' cupboard. Their old clothes are hanging, still dripping profusely, on the railing between them and the river. The source of Levi’s grumbling is the pastel blue hoodie he’s wearing, which reads across the front, ‘I love hugs’ and has a picture of two bears hugging. He sinks further down on the bench, hiding his face in his drink.

“So,” Levi starts, “What now?”

“It’s almost dark. I need to find an internet café. I’ll need time to follow those leads I mentioned, there’ll be reports from the fire and hospital records.”

Levi looks away, taking another sip. The sweet liquid is blessedly hot and warming as it slides down his throat. He shuts his eyes appreciatively. Geese honk as they fly overhead, and the fading light is grey and bleary. The tide is going out now, but the water still looks turbulent.

“And what about London Below falling apart?” Levi says quietly.

Erwin sighs. “Whatever’s happening, it can’t be good. I think we need to focus on finding Isabel as quickly as possible and getting back to the camp so we can figure this out with the others.”

They watch the birds on the river as the grey sky darkens into night.

* * *

There’s a junction nearby where several roads meet and where the majority of shops are congregated. It’s only just become dark, so many people are still out. The restaurants and pubs have their doors open and the smell of hops and pizza wafts out to greet the pair as they search the streets, damp clothes leaking through the plastic bag they carry.

“Aha!” Erwin cries as they wander down a side street. Whilst the main road has branded clothing stores and expensive-looking cafes, the side street has pawnshops, a laundrette on the verge of falling into Levi's own world of forgotten things, a few shady liquor stores and an internet café.

They walk straight in. If there is supposed to be someone running the place, they don’t appear, nor do they notice Erwin and Levi making their way to one of the empty computers. Aside from a gaggle of teenagers whooping and cheering in a corner, there’s no one there.

Levi hovers awkwardly as Erwin boots the clunky machine up and pulls a notebook and pen out of the dark green jacket he’d taken from the pool.

He tries and fails to hide his wince as the computer glares into life. Erwin slides him a sly and slightly amused expression. The prince looks around the room. There’s not much to see. The teenagers seem to be engaged in some kind of game.

“Levi,” Erwin rumbles, “I can log you into one if you want to help.”

“No.” Levi says, too quickly. Erwin pauses what he’s doing and turns a raised eyebrow towards the prince. “I just mean,” Levi continues “That, um, I’m sure you’re perfectly capable.”

“Alright.” Says Erwin with a small, amused smile. “In that case, your hovering’s going to get annoying. Why don’t you go and find us a place to rest when daylight comes? Or another tent, if possible. Meet me back here when you’re done, I’ll need some time.”

“Fine.” Levi says, though his shoulders sag slightly in relief. He eyes the machines with suspicion one final time before making a hasty exit from the small space. In minutes he’s on the roof. He inhales the familiar feeling of being completely hidden in the darkness with a full view of the world below.

He doesn’t leave immediately in search of a place to camp. Instead, he perches for a while, observing, just like old times. Late autumn evenings are a flurry of activity. Most Commoners are still awake, spilling onto the streets in search of food and friends.

Camping on the river is probably out of the question. Whilst being on the water is a great defence against the Titans, there aren’t many places that don’t get flooding during high tide. It might take him a while to find one, anyway.

His mood changes when he picks up the sound of music and the smells of mulled wine and spices. There’s a market nearby, it must be nearing the time of year when the winter markets crop up. He knows that the winter solstice is celebrated by both Commoners and Hidden, but the Commoners seem to make a bigger deal about the build-up, with more lights.

Levi follows the smells along the rooftops, hands and feet finding easy purchase on the uneven terrain. Luckily, he finds that the pain in his right ankle is manageable.

He’s right, there is a market, the first he’s seen this year. From his crouch high above, he takes it in. The music is soothing, with a melodic male voice weaving its way through the stalls from an array of speakers. There are sticky-toffee apples, hot cider, cinnamon-spiced hot cocoa, and intricate glass ornaments on sale.

Children weave through the stalls, wrapped up in too many layers as if to shock-proof them against falls, whilst most of the adults seem to be making their way into pleasant drunkenness at the mulled wine stall.

Levi closes his eyes, but no matter how he tries, he can’t pretend his two friends are there with him. It’s been a year now, and every time he tries to remember them, they feel further away. The smells and sounds of the market, a place they’d loved more than any, only highlights their absence even more.

The urge to flee is suddenly strong. Ignoring his injured ankle’s protests, he turns and runs, putting as much distance between himself and the market as he can. It feels good to be moving like this, he can feel the adrenaline surging. The speed is exhilarating, he’s moving so fast that it feels like everything else fades beneath him.

He comes to a halt after a while. His attention is drawn by the flapping of dark plastic sheeting which covers the half-built renovation of an old church in front of him. The crumbling structure greets him the way most half-forgotten places do. It feels much closer to his world than the glassy storefronts of the high street he’d left behind. It looks like it was once something to behold, probably towering over the surrounding houses. Now, it’s hidden behind a tall, ugly car park and a sad block of flats.

The building is old, and half the roof of the main body is gone. The scaffolding isn’t in good shape either. The steel poles are rusting, and the plastic sheeting has come loose in places. If Levi had to guess, he’d say that construction has been put on hold for some time, and if so, the place is probably quiet during the day. Perhaps this could be a good place to rest during daylight hours.

The inside is actually in better shape than he’d expected. He finds the church tower mostly intact. A set of ancient stone steps wind narrowly up to the space where a set of bells used to hang. One of the walls is missing a section that is also covered with a tarp. Levi peels it back to look beyond and spies a clear line across to the roof of the ugly car park. An easy escape route if they need it.

He leaves the church and takes note of the surroundings before setting off.

* * *

There are only a few hours left before daylight when they make it to their new camp in the old church tower. They’ve made the little room quite cosy with a stack of blankets, and Erwin’s managed to steal a torch that provides a small amount of light for them to see by. Levi’s back in his own clothes, now blessedly dry after Erwin braved the strange machines of the laundrette, although Petra’s carefully knitted poncho now seems somewhat smaller than before.

Over hot pies pilfered from the night market, Erwin recounts his findings. “Ok, so, there’s bad news and there’s good news.”

Levi indicates for him to continue between crumbling mouthfuls.

“The good news is that I found reference to the fire we’re looking for. There was a newspaper article and it stated that there was one person retrieved from the fire who was hospitalised, that could be Isabel.”

Erwin takes out his notebook and the pages slide against each other as he flips to the right page.

“The bad news is that I couldn’t find any information on which hospital that person was taken to. I hacked into the local fire station’s network but couldn’t find anything in the files they kept. There are three hospitals within a reasonable distance, I have the list here.” Erwin shows Levi a barely legible scrawl.

“I was only able to hack into one of them and they didn’t have a record of any women coming into A and E with burns that night. The other two hospitals were a complete mess digitally. It looks like most of their files haven’t been uploaded anywhere I can access them remotely, so we’re going to have to break in and find the physical copies.” Erwin’s large eyebrows are furrowed with annoyance.

Levi nods, picking pieces of pastry out of his clothes.

“One day soon,” says Erwin, “everything will be virtual. People will have computers in their pockets. Everyone will be traceable. But for now, we still have to break into places sometimes to find stuff out.”

Levi shudders. “Don’t worry. You can rely on the Hidden to stay Hidden, even if the Commoners are stupid enough to carry machines on them all the time. In many ways, we’re the perfect spies.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

The taller man scribbles something in his notebook, eyes narrowed. Levi curses as he realises some of the crumbs have fallen into the blankets as well. Nothing worse than crumbs in bed. He shoos Erwin to one side while he takes the blankets and beats them to get the pieces out. After he’s satisfied, they both sit back down on the blankets. They sit, Levi cross-legged and Erwin more sprawled out with his back against the wall.

“We’ll find her, Levi.” Says Erwin, and he looks at the prince with the kind of confidence that Levi wishes he could have.

The wind moans strangely through the gap in the wall. Drawing his knees up so he can wrap his arms around himself protectively, Levi doesn’t look at Erwin as he says: “There’s something I don’t understand.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you stand up for me back there, in the Gyptian Camp?” Levi asks. Erwin starts to speak but Levi cuts him off. “No, don’t tell me it’s because of our deal. If I’d left and been banished, you’d’ve been able to stay. Fight the Titans and find out the truth, just like you wanted. I can’t understand why you’d benefit from joining me.”

Levi can’t read the taller man's expression.

“Because I’ve seen you fight, Levi.” Erwin says. “And I think Nana Hutchings was wrong to threaten banishment on you, after the emotions you were probably feeling after your vision. I think it’s foolish to banish London Below’s best soldier, especially now.”

Erwin’s looking at him now, and there’s an admiration and awe there that makes Levi feel jittery and hot.

“Anyone can see that finding Isabel is the most important thing for you right now. If finding her is what it takes to bring you back to the Gyptians, then it should be the most important thing for the Gyptians too.” Erwin pauses.

“And because, Levi,” the taller man continues, “I have a feeling that you will prove pivotal in this fight against the Titans. I knew that from the moment I saw you fight them. And that’s why I knew I had to help you find Isabel and the reason why I stood up for you against Nana Hutchings.”

Levi can’t hide the open surprise on his face. He’s suddenly overwhelmed and confused by the way his stomach twists and his insides feel warm at Erwin’s words.

“You really think that?” He says, voice fragile.

“I do.” Erwin replies. The taller man shifts away from the wall so that he’s leaning towards Levi. “We’ll find her.” He says again, firmly.

The prince swallows the rising tumultuous feelings threatening to overwhelm him. Instead, he reaches over and turns off the torch. He stands, pale eyes adjusting much faster than Erwin’s to the darkness. He can sense the man’s confusion.

“Levi, what-“ Erwin breaks off as he feels Levi kneel over his lap and stills as the prince places a hand on Erwin’s chest.

“Now,” Levi purrs into Erwin’s ear, “you stop talking. Alright?”

The taller man swallows audibly, and Levi feels him nod. As he takes Erwin’s ear between his teeth, Erwin groans and Levi feels his large hands come up and settle on his waist. Erwin’s breathing starts to come out ragged as the prince runs his tongue down the man’s throat. Levi pulls him forward by his leather jacket and starts taking it off.

London Above is uncharacteristically quiet around them, perhaps due to the early morning hour and thick stone walls. It feels like they’re in their own small world, and the sound of their breathing is loud.

Once Erwin’s leather jacket and shirt are gone, Levi traces the burn scar patterns that adorn the man’s chest with his fingertips, feeling rather than seeing them in the darkness. Erwin’s hands are pushing the rough fabric of the poncho over Levi’s head, and large fingers search his waist for the fastenings of the kimono.

When Levi’s just in his long-sleeves shirt, Erwin pulls him into a ragged kiss. As his hand cups the back of the prince’s neck, his hair comes loose of its ponytail and the taller man threads his large fingers through the strands. Erwin’s other hand hitches up Levi’s shirt, pushing the garment over his head. Finally, they’re both shirtless and Erwin sighs into their wet, open-mouthed kiss as bare flesh meets bare flesh and their motions take on a new edge of arousal and heat.

As Erwin draws his hands down over Levi’s back, he pauses, hands stilling on the extensive knotwork of scars that he finds there.

“Levi-“

“I _said_ stop talking.” Levi’s got a track record of using sex as a way to avoid talking about or addressing feelings, and he’s not about to stop now.

Then Erwin’s pushing away from the wall, carrying Levi’s small frame easily as he pushes the smaller man onto the blankets and presses him down. He presses one hand into Levi’s hip and the other into his neck to keep him pinned and begins slowly and torturously pressing wet kisses into the skin of his chest and stomach. Levi is helpless to do anything but take it, releasing small moans he can’t help when Erwin’s mouth latches onto the soft, sensitive skin of his nipple.

Erwin’s hands suddenly let go, only to start tugging Levi’s trousers down, releasing the prince’s hard cock which slaps against his stomach. Levi tries not to whine needily. He fails.

He hears cursing as Erwin realises Levi’s still got his boots on. There’s an awkward few minutes where they both disentangle to get out of their shoes, and they strip out of their remaining clothes as well. Then Erwin’s reaching for him in the dark.

Levi clambers onto Erwin’s lap so they’re sitting cross-legged around each other, allowing easy access for their hands to roam while their lips remain locked. The position also leaves their cocks pressing against each other, both flushed and hard with arousal. The prince wraps his arms around the taller man’s neck as Erwin takes his tongue between his teeth. They both groan and Levi presses down, rubbing his cock harder against Erwin’s.

The taller man uses Levi's loose hair to tug his head to the side almost painfully, and the way Levi’s cock twitches makes Erwin smile into the skin of his exposed neck.

“Does pain turn you on, Prince Levi?” He murmurs in a gravelly voice. The hairs on Levi’s neck stand on end and he writhes in Erwin’s lap. “And,” Erwin continues, “the use of your title in an intimate setting, perhaps…”

Levi growls, just as Erwin scrapes his teeth lightly over his neck causing the smaller man to shudder.

“So responsive, so good for me,” The taller man pulls Levi’s head to the other side sharply, “ _Your highness._ ”

Levi feels unbelievably aroused, skin overheated, face flushed, and cock so hard it’s almost painful. His head falls against Erwin’s chest as Erwin wraps an arm around his scarred back and starts stroking their cocks together in his large hand. Their breathing comes out ragged.

But it’s too dry, there’s no lube, and by this point they’re both desperate for contact, so Erwin lies down and directs Levi so that Levi’s above him, facing the opposite way, and they can satisfy each other simultaneously with the wet heat of their mouths.

After straddling Erwin’s face, he moves onto all fours so he can run his tongue along the man’s cock. He curses as the taller man takes Levi’s cock into his mouth in one go and struggles to focus on pleasuring Erwin at the same time. The taller man’s mouth is hot and wet and it feels divine around his hard length. But almost more arousing is the way Erwin is totally losing it as Levi’s mouth envelopes the other man’s cock in return and toys with the head. He presses at the hard flesh with his tongue, and the feeling of having his mouth so full only turns him on more.

Levi comes when Erwin does. Watching the man orgasm is too arousing. The other man’s body convulses like he can’t control it, and Levi can feel the way Erwin’s cock jumps and twitches as semen fills his mouth. It pushes him over the edge.

The great thing about blowjobs is the lack of mess after, for which Levi is grateful. He wonders idly if Erwin had thought of that, or whether he’d just wanted it.

Erwin pulls him into a gentle kiss after, and his mouth tastes like the prince’s seed which is almost enough to get him hard again. His own mouth probably tastes similar. But it’s late, and he realises with a start how tired he is, especially post-orgasm.

He has the surprising urge to cuddle. He imagines that Erwin probably wouldn't mind, but Levi knows that it’s a bad idea to fall asleep too close to the man. He’d hate if his nightmares caused him to lash out at Erwin or something. So Levi withdraws from the kiss, stands, and gets into his clothes again.

Erwin doesn’t say anything, but he does reach over for his underwear and shirt and shrug into them before disappearing beneath the blankets.

As Levi takes the other side, leaving a platonic amount of space between them, he hears Erwin wishing him good night.

Despite his exhaustion, he lies awake awhile, trying not to freak out about the warmth he’d felt at Erwin’s words earlier and that strange, uncharacteristic urge to snuggle up to the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic makes me miss London. I grew up there, and I miss it sometimes. 
> 
> I want to thank all of you beautiful people for following this story, writing it is a pleasant distraction from these crazy times, I hope you continue to enjoy!


	8. The Market

Despite their exhaustion, having lost most of a day’s sleep when the bridge collapsed, it’s hard to sleep in the church tower. London Above is a riot of sound during daylight hours when Hidden like them usually sleep, and even the thick church walls don’t protect them from the chaos. Levi sorely misses the relative peace of the river.

By the time daylight’s faded, Levi’s already up. He misses his usual waking ritual of washing, dressing and making tea, but with his pack and ‘coon lost, there’s not much for him to do except tie his hair back and drink some water.

Erwin’s still asleep on the blankets in the corner of the small stone-walled room. From his face, it looks like even in his dreams his mind is busy. Furlan used to sleep sprawled over everything, face slack. For a moment Levi remembers cold nights sharing body heat and the gentle touch of Furlan’s hands on his skin.

He’s shaken out of his memories by a zipping sound and suddenly a small body plummets through the plastic sheeting covering the hole in the wall. Immediately Erwin is awake, and Levi’s got a knife in each hand ready to throw, but his stance slackens as he recognises the silky brown hair and fluorescent poncho.

“Petra,” says Levi, “what are you doing here?”

When the teenager recovers her breath, she says: “Looking for you, of course.”

“How did you find us?”

“The rats told me where you were.”

Levi nods, recalling that Petra speaks the rodent’s language. Her large eyes widen as she spies Erwin who is barely dressed under the blankets. Her cheeks colour, perhaps at the implications of the pair’s close sleeping conditions.

 _Ah well,_ thinks Levi, _no helping what she thinks now._

She shoots the taller man a small smile. “Erwin.”

“Petra.” He greets her in return.

There’s an awkward pause. Erwin also seems to be blushing.

“So,” Levi interjects, “what brings you to us lowly outcasts.”

“Well, that’s the thing, you’re not outcasts yet. Your week’s not up.”

“You didn’t come for chit-chat though, so tell us what’s up,” Levi says, not messing around. Petra’s eyes fall on the dark green material of the garment she’d made him, which is draped over the blankets – he’d used it as a pillow. Levi thinks she might smile, though her face is hidden by her loose hair.

Her wide, amber eyes turn to him. “There’s a market tonight.”

“Yeah? Where?”

“St Paul’s.”

“Thank fuck. Couldn’t be better timed.”

“I figured you wouldn’t know. You can’t speak the rat’s tongue, right?”

Levi frowns, just short of rolling his eyes. “No, I never learned.” He pauses, “Thank you, Petra. For coming to tell us.”

She smiles, but then realisation dawns and her face contorts in confusion. “Wait,” she says, “What happened to your ‘coons?”

A bus horn blares up suddenly, startling them momentarily.

“Oh our stuff, yeah, um,” Levi sighs, “there’s a forgotten bridge on the river where we were camping, a part of London Below, and it just fell apart. Almost took us in the process.”

“Shit.” Petra whispers. “This isn’t good. There’s rumours that other slivers of London Below have been collapsing, even when wildfires aren’t happening.”

She folds her arms and shivers, though she can’t be that cold under her woolen layers. “Levi, please, you need to come back.” The teenager says.

“Y’know I have to find Isabel first.”

“I know but just, find her quickly, ok? And then come back. We need you.” Amber eyes turn to Erwin, who is looking at them both whilst the gears turn in his head. “That goes for you too, Erwin.”

The taller man is startled out of his musings at the mention of his name. Petra continues: “You were only with us a few days yet Hange and Jean have a whole new set of ideas. They’ve been talking with Nana nonstop. You seem very observant and intelligent and I think we really need your help to figure all of this out.”

Neither Levi nor Erwin responds when Petra falls silent.

After an awkward pause, Levi clears his throat. “When does the market start?”

“Soon, you might want to start heading there. There’s no telling when the next one’ll be - if at all. People are scared.” Petra says.

“Will you join us?” Levi asks.

The teenager shakes her head. “No, I should be getting back, Jean’s been training us hard. Besides, I don’t need anything from the market for now.”

“Right, of course. Ok then, well, thanks again.” Levi says as Petra shoots another glance at Erwin before retreating to the hole in the wall.

“Good luck,” she says, “And come back quick, yeah?”

Levi nods.

Petra spins around and disappears through the plastic sheeting into the night. The zipping of twine can be heard.

“You’ve mentioned the market before,” Erwin says, “I’m assuming it’s a Hidden market, not a Commoner market.”

“Yes, we can stock up on weapons, supplies, get a set of ‘coons.” Levi replies, “And we should get moving like she said. I don’t think there’s any passages from here to St Paul’s, so it’ll take us some time to get there through London Above. Besides, we need to pick up some things to trade.”

Erwin nods and despite his obvious confusion, he doesn’t inquire any further.

“What about our search?” Erwin asks.

“We’ll have time to continue after the market. These days, there’s no telling when or if there’ll be another and we need weapons. You said there’s two hospitals we need to break into?”

“Yes.”

“Ok then, let’s get moving.”

They leave the blankets. Otherwise, they haven’t got much else. Levi leaves the stolen pastel blue hoodie, relieved to be back in his own clothes now that they’re dry. The prince flies quickly to the ground using his twine, waiting there while Erwin takes ages using the stairs like a Commoner.

“Come,” Levi says to the man, “Keep an eye out for shops selling old stuff. When we’ve got some things to trade, we’ll take the underground.”

“Underground like the tube?”

“Yeah, like the tube.”

They take off into the city. The streetlights cast a bright light over the streets and the city is alive with the sounds of people returning from work and seeking food or beer. It’s drizzling so lightly it could barely count as rain, but it dusts Levi’s hair and the wool of his poncho with fine moisture. He misses his many-pocketed coat with its hood, also lost when the bridge collapsed.

“Is the tube part of London Below as well?”

“Parts of it,” Levi replies. “Used to be lots of wars between the Earl and the Baron, but one good thing ‘bout the Titans, is they’ve has a way of bringing us Hidden together, I guess. It’s safe to travel down there now.”

“Wait,” Erwin says, brow furrowed, “As in, Earl’s Court and Baron’s Court?”

“Yes,” Levi say, looking at Erwin likes he’s stupid. The taller man smiles and shakes his head.

“Sure, why not…” He mumbles to himself.

They’re walking past some concrete flats. Up ahead is the hustle and bustle of busier road with shops. Lazy, synth-heavy music spills out onto the street from the basement of the flats which looks like a car park. A male voice begins rapping over the beat. Levi can smell cigarette smoke and weed.

They reach the busier street and find it’s just popular enough to have shops, but not popular enough to have nice ones. Perfect for two Hidden looking for a pawn shop to raid.

It’s not long before they find one and it’s already dark inside. Either it’s already closed for the day or it’s been closed a while. Regardless, breaking in isn’t a problem for the two experts. Several of Levi’s lockpicks made it with him when the bridge collapsed, for which he’s grateful. He hates having to smash glass, the shards always get suck in the soles of his boots.

Levi makes quick work of the shop, grabbing an old backpack and making his way around, throwing in anything that looks interesting. Erwin just watches him, looking amused at Levi’s choices, but not saying anything.

Amongst other things, the prince takes some tacky London fridge magnets, two pairs of kids’ boots, scarves, a couple of pixelated posters of Van Gogh’s ‘starry night’, some colourful CDs by unrecognisable bands, a set of matching chopsticks, and an array of garish jewelry.

“What are you doing?” Levi says to Erwin as they’re about to leave. Erwin’s got his wallet open and some paper bills in his hand.

“It’s not like I need it anymore anyway. I might as well.”

“How moral of you.”

The taller man smiles and leaves the bills on the cashier. The pair leave the dark shop and head back out into the commotion of the city.

//

They emerge from the underground into a very different part of London. The glass skyscrapers and intricately carved stone buildings are mostly deserted now that the offices are closed for the evening, and they don’t see many others around. In amongst the bizarre mix of architecture which is the City of London, the huge dome of St Paul’s Cathedral sits proud and elegant like a precious stone misplaced in a nest of ugly eggs.

The towering pillars of the magnificent building are subtly lit with hidden lights that cast dramatic shadows. The steps leading to the entrance are so wide that they span almost the width of the building, but Levi takes Erwin past them and towards a small wooden door in the side of the great cathedral. A few buses rumble past somewhere nearby, but otherwise, there are few pedestrians or vehicles.

Levi pushes the door, finding it open. Their footsteps echo on the black and white squares of marble that tile the floor inside. The door brings them through what appears the be a gift shop. It smells like copper and cheap plastic, and tacky snow globes sit side-by-side with heavy leather-bound books on the shelves. As they pass through and into the main body of the cathedral, Levi hears Erwin draw in a breath.

The interior of the cathedral is astonishingly beautiful. Thought Levi’s never cared much for Commoner’s strange religions, even he finds this space awe-inspiring. The high, curved ceilings are lined with beautiful oil paintings, and the ornaments lining the columns and wells are finely painted with gold. The space is massive, and all sound gets lost in it, echoing away into nothing.

It’s a strange juxtaposition to see the Hidden Market set up in the centre of the cathedral where the pews are supposed to be. The mishmash of odd stalls and forgotten people and things is at odds with the careful precision of the building. What should be a riot of chatter and hubbub is dampened by the way the high ceiling swallows sound. And the market itself, which for many Hidden is the biggest inter-realm gathering they experience, looks so small in the huge space.

Levi frowns. The Market looks small for a reason. There’s less than half the number of stalls he’d expect, and he can’t see many children running around. As they approach, he notices that the usual good humour and merriment surrounding the Market seems absent, and the faces of most stall-keepers and shoppers are somber, tired or scared.

“This isn’t good,” Levi says to his companion, “I’ve never seen the market so small.”

They reach the first crop of stalls which seem to be the food and drink section. There, Levi’s surprised to find Mikasa and her brother, Eren, nursing cups of hot mead. The warm smell of the sweet, gentle alcohol is welcoming and enticing, but the pair’s expressions look concerned as they converse with the stall-keeper. The discussion halts as Levi and Erwin are spotted, and they’re easily talked into taking a drink each whilst Mikasa turns to them.

“Prince Levi. Erwin. It’s good to see you both heard about the market.”

“And it may be the last for a while.” Says the small stall-keeper in a weathered voice, shaking her head. Her startling white hair defies gravity and forms a wild cloud around her wrinkled face.

“Petra came and told us about it. She also mentioned it could be the last, why is this the case?” Levi says.

Mikasa and Eren share a look. “Well,” says Eren, “After you left, word spread pretty quick about your vision.”

“And now,” cuts in Mikasa, “On top of fear about the Titans and wildfire, people are afraid of this thing in the void.”

“And then,” continues Eren, “another tunnel disappeared, even though the rats are sure there’ve been no wildfires. Rumours are spreading that other parts of London Below have fallen.”

“No wonder. The bridge we were camping under collapsed on us while we were sleeping. Could’ve killed us.” Erwin says.

“Fuck, really?” Eren says. His face falls into a frown.

They’re speaking in hushed tones even though there’s no need. Levi can hear the low murmuring of others throughout the Market, and he can pick up the fear and uncertainty in the collection of voices. Levi sips on his warm drink while their talk continues.

Eventually, Levi and Erwin make to move on towards the weapons stall, but Mikasa stops Erwin with a hand on his wrist and draws him aside. She gestures for Levi to go on. The prince quirks an eyebrow, intrigued, but leaves them behind and their voices are lost to the cathedral.

//

Out of earshot of the prince, Mikasa pulls Erwin behind a stall and speaks to him urgently.

“Erwin, I thought I could speak with you about this.” Mikasa starts with her sharp, feline voice.

“What is it, Mikasa?”

“Actually, it was Hange’s idea to reach out to you. See, there’s another reason people are so afraid. It’s because Prince Levi left.”

“What do you mean?”

“They think he’s left London Below because he’s given up fighting and seeing their Prince lose hope takes away their hope.”

“He hasn’t lost hope, and he hasn’t left London Below, nor would he want to, I’m sure,” Erwin says, defensively.

“No, I don’t think so either. But that’s what it looks like, and that’s what people believe.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Erwin asks.

“Because, Erwin, you’re with him. You can get through to him. All of us have failed, he just pushes us away. But we need him more than he realises. And, I think, he needs us.”

“I see.”

“Whether or not you find Isabel, you need to come back when your week is up. We can’t lose you.” Mikasa says, and the sharp tone of her voice makes Erwin afraid to disobey her.

//

Levi catches up with Erwin after he’s bartered for most of the items he’d needed: a new sleeping ‘coon, knives, a coat that’s a bit too large, and a pack to put it all in. The prince finds the taller man off to the side, closer to the cathedral walls. The man’s back is towards him, and on instinct, he doesn’t approach immediately; instead, he leans against a column and watches.

Erwin’s found a pair of broadswords. Levi can see the glint of the cathedral’s low lights off the long steel edges. The prince tilts his head, admiring the line of Erwin’s back and the way the dim light highlights the edge of his ear and jaw. Erwin breathes and raises the blades slowly above his head and suddenly twists the blades into a sharp slice to the side.

As the taller man twirls the blades through the air, body moving with a graceful fluidity, Levi is impressed. But he frowns as he realises there’s something off. The blades, they’re a bit too heavy for the man, and the grip isn’t right either, though Erwin is clearly skilled enough regardless.

Levi disappears into the Market to return to the weapons stalls, and it’s not long before he finds what he’s looking for and makes his way back to Erwin.

“Oi,” he says to get the man’s attention, “those are wrong. Try these.” Levi throws the blades so the handles face Erwin, who catches them easily, placing the other blades on the edge of a bench. The prince watches the taller man twirl and spin with the new blades.

Levi smiles. Perfect.

Erwin heads over to him. “You’ve got a good eye.”

The prince hums in response.

//

The sound of sirens is far too loud. Levi counts at least four police cars, and from the sound of it more are on the way. It’s early morning for the Commoners now, but someone’s driven their car at top speed and crashed into a shop front. From his high vantage point, he drinks in the flashing blue and red police lights and tries to distract himself.

He’s distantly aware of the sound of someone climbing up the side of the building towards him. By the sound of it, they’re large and tall. He takes a knife out of his sleeve into his hand but tucks it away when he hears a familiar voice.

“Levi!” Erwin says.

“You sound surprised.”

“I didn’t think I’d find you.”

“What are you doing here, then?”

“I just figured that this is the highest vantage point in the area and I might be able to spot you or call out to you or something. But here you are.”

“Yes, here I am.”

Heavy footsteps move across the concrete roof, dodging the many metal protrusions, and settling close beside him, though Erwin chooses not to perch dangerously on the ledge the way Levi is.

“We going to talk about you running away like that?” Erwin asks.

“Do we have to?”

“No, not if you don’t want to.”

Levi doesn’t reply.

“I know it’s frustrating that neither hospital had anything, but if we retrace our steps we’ll find out where we took a wrong turn. Trust me, investigations are always riddled with dead ends, eventually, we’ll figure it out.”

The prince shifts his weight from side to side, still settled in his usual crouch. Erwin settles both hands on the ledge. Together, they watch the unfolding scene below as fluorescent-jacketed figures haul several people out of the crash. Levi can hear the crackle of a police radio.

“It just seems so daunting,” Levi begins quietly, “London Above is so huge. All we’ve got is one article that says someone was pulled from the fire. That’s it. And we’ve only got four more nights. Three, given that we have to head back on the final one.”

“It’s enough.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’ve done this before.” Erwin’s face is sad as the flickering police lights cast strange shadows over his features. Levi frowns as he looks at the other man. He doesn’t say anything, because he can sense that Erwin’s about to speak.

“Thank you for not prying the other day,” Erwin says, “I know there’s a lot I haven’t talked about, and yet I asked you to trust me anyway, and you have. For that, I am grateful. But perhaps it’s time I told you about who I was.”

A plane rumbles past overhead, and a traffic light frantically beeps as it flashes a green man at absent pedestrians. Levi nods and tilts his head to listen to what Erwin has to say.

“Two years ago, I started investigating the fires with a small team of elite intelligence agents.” The taller man says. “Our organisation had noticed an increased number of fires, and my bosses thought it might be terrorist activity. That’s when they put me in charge of finding out what was going on.” 

“So you’re not all clueless.” Levi states quietly.

“No, but looking back, it’s no wonder we couldn’t work it out. We had no idea what we were up against.” Erwin smiles, but there’s something dark in his eyes that makes the prince shudder and turn his gaze back to the scene below him.

“My team were amazing though.” Erwin says, “So smart, so quick. Excellent fighters too. There were six of us: Nanaba, Mike, Gunther, Oluo, and Annie.” He pauses.

“We investigated several suspicious fires,” the taller man continues in a distant tone like he’s reciting something, “and no matter how we looked at it, it didn’t make any sense. None of them were in strategic locations, no terrorist groups claimed them. Few people died. And Levi,” Erwin turns to look at him, blue eyes intense, “one of them was the Charlton fire.”

The prince’s eyes widen.

“You were there?”

“I visited the site after, yes. By that time the blaze had died down already.”

“Well shit, Erwin. This is some important information. You could’ve told me this before.” He tries and fails to keep the accusation out of his tone.

“I’m sorry. I should have. It’s just painful for me to remember certain things.” The taller man looks away.

“What happened, Erwin?” Levi says, trying to keep his confusion and frustration at bay because he can sense he’s treading into sensitive matters.

“Three months after the Charlton fire, Annie told us she had a lead.” Erwin spits her name like it’s toxic. “She claimed she’d found someone who knew what was going on and we should meet with them. Like the clueless fools that we were, we followed her.”

Levi misses a breath as he realises where this is going. An image comes to his mind of the wildfire scars that adorn Erwin’s body.

“Erwin…” Levi breathes.

“Annie led us to the basement of a building in a dilapidated part of town. There were a fair number of people in the building, many of them in a bad way, I think it was a drug den. One of them was just a child and I heard her calling out. It’s only because I stopped to check on her that I trailed behind the others.” Erwin’s hands grip tightly unto the concrete ledge below him and he doesn’t continue speaking; instead, seeming to steady himself by breathing deeply.

“Annie was a Titan, wasn’t she?” Levi asks gently when it seems like Erwin can’t continue.

The taller man nods. He takes a shaky breath, and so softly even Levi can barely hear him, says: “I had just come down the stairs when I saw her open the lighter. The others were standing nearby. I’ll never forget the blank, inhuman look on her face. I didn’t realise what she was going to do and then she was just ablaze. How could she do that? To herself? And then, the fire spread so quickly, and the screams…my team…” He looks away.

Levi finds himself moving closer so that he can press a hand to Erwin’s shoulder blade.

“Thank you for telling me.” The prince says quietly.

“It is what it is.” The taller man says, echoing the same words that Levi had uttered only a few nights ago. Erwin smiles a small, sad smile.

A light breeze blows a loose strand of hair across Levi’s face. The night sky is overcast and glowing as usual. Some time passes before either of them speak.

“I think I know how we can find more information about the night of the Charlton fire. My team, we made detailed files about each case. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take anything with me when MI5 discharged me. Actually, I’ve been dying for a reason to take back my team’s work.”

“What are you suggesting, Erwin?”

“I’m suggesting that we break into MI5.”


	9. Not Exactly James Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Erwin break into MI5. Wearing suits. And get rained on. Need I say more?

Levi shifts uncomfortably in the strange tight-fitting clothing. He feels like his movements are restricted by the tight cut at the armpits and the legs. He wonders how Commoners wear these things all the time.

“Remind me why this is necessary.” He asks Erwin as he waits for the man to change inside the changing booth.

“Being Hidden has its perks, but it doesn’t hurt to blend in. The place we’re going, they have some pretty high security so the less we stand out, the better.” The curtain hooks clatter against the railing as Erwin draws it back and steps out.

Levi misses a breath. The man looks stunning. The grey suit flatters his commanding height and strong build. It fits well, accentuating the breadth of his shoulders. He’s paired the outfit with a light blue tie that brings out the startling colour of his eyes.

“Ok. Maybe I’m alright with the suits.” Levi says.

Erwin smiles, but the prince doesn’t miss the way the man’s eyes rake appreciatively over his body in return.

“Yes. Could be worse.” Erwin says. Levi feels his cheeks get heated. “Now, just missing one thing,” says the taller man, holding out a dark green length of cloth to the prince.

Levi eyes it with suspicion, turning a raised eyebrow at Erwin.

“Here,” the other man says, stepping forward and lifting Levi’s shirt collar so he can loop the tie around his neck. “Let me,” Erwin says as he loops the end of the tie over each other. His voice is low, and he’s standing very close, and Levi struggles not to look directly at him, blood starting to pound. He sighs, partly in relief, partly in disappointment, when the taller man steps away. He’s sure his face gives away the way the other man’s affected him, but Erwin only grins like the bastard that he is.

Grabbing their packs, they walk straight out of the budget pre-made suit shop without paying and the attendants don’t even notice. It’s still light as Erwin had wanted to sneak into MI5 before the working day was over, saying something about it being easier to slip into a place when other people are moving around. It’s raining steadily as they step onto the pavement. The water is cold as the droplets seep into his hair. Levi tips his head back, enjoying the soothing sensation as the liquid patters against his skin.

Their boots thud wetly along the concrete pavement as they move through the rain. Erwin keeps up a fast pace, and he seems to know the area well.

“Erwin, since we’re supposed to be blending in, shouldn’t we leave the packs somewhere? Might be noticeable.”

“I have a place in mind, it’s just up ahead.”

The streets are pretty crowded now, and from the increased hubbub and number of lost-looking figures clutching cameras, Levi would guess they’re nearing some landmark. From the peal of seagulls nearby, they aren’t far from the river either. Rounding the corner, they’re met with gleaming spires and gothic windows: the houses of parliament.

“We’re lucky it’s getting dark and it’s raining.” Erwin says, “Or this place would be packed with tourists.”

“Wait, it gets worse than this?” Levi asks, uncomfortable with the press of people nearby.

“Much worse.”

The prince isn’t sure he believes the man and doesn’t want to think about how awful a crowd denser than this might be. He’s relieved when the leave the busiest area immediately surrounding the landmark building and head down a quieter road. The street is lined with smaller buildings that might have once been expensive housing. Now, the plaques beside the doors indicate academies, institutions and other important-sounding bodies.

After a short distance, the street meets a junction. A proud building carefully carved from white stone sits in a square surrounded by the houses. Its entrance is flanked by columns and a set of clean, wide steps leads up to its grand doors. The roof appears strangely lopsided due to a short little tower that's been planted on it like an afterthought.

“Levi,” Erwin says to him, “Do you think you could get onto the roof of this building.”

“Easily.” The prince replies.

“Do you think you could hide our packs up there?”

“Sure.”

“Great. That circular tower up on the roof, it’s actually like a little pavilion. It can’t be reached by Commoners unless they can scale rooftops. If you leave the packs there, they’ll be safe from the rain and no one will be able to see them from the ground or from inside.”

Levi nods, not questioning the man’s knowledge. Using his twine-bound knife and with Erwin standing as a look-out, he zips up behind the cover of the trees lining the building’s sides. It takes two trips, but as he turns to descend, he takes a moment to appreciate the view. The houses of parliament and Westminster Abbey are just visible, the building being just taller than the surrounding houses. Both landmarks are lit beautifully in oranges and yellows, and the winter dusk paints the overcast sky in a uniform deep purple. He marks the place in his mental map of London Above.

MI5 is practically around the corner. The pair stand for a while watching the building’s entrance whilst taking shelter under a tree nearby.

Leather-soled footsteps splash through the puddles. The rain continues, but it has fizzled out into a pathetic drizzle. Everyone heading into and out of the bold, cubic building is dressed almost identically in dark suits and plain ties. Many carry briefcases. Levi wonders what secrets hide inside.

Reluctantly, he admits that dressing the part was a good idea. It’s simple to blend in with the others as they cross over the road and pass through the shiny front doors. Their steps slap wetly on the smooth floor. The entrance hall is a large space, tastefully lit with large artistic lights that hang from the ceiling and most of the surfaces are so smooth Levi could see his reflection in them.

There are various uncomfortable and impractical chairs gathered in the open space and corridors lead off in different directions, most of them with barriers preventing entry. Whilst he’s ogling the sharp, clean space, so different from London Below, he’s startled and suddenly anxious to find that Erwin has disappeared. He could’ve sworn the man was just behind him, but with the way that noises echo off the surfaces in the hall and with the people moving about he must’ve missed the other man slip away.

Before he can panic, he spots the tall blond across the room making his way towards Levi.

“Don’t leave me like that in this weird place, Erwin.”

“Sorry, just grabbing a key,” the man holds up a white rectangle.

“That’s a key?” Levi says, keeping his voice low.

Erwin nods. “Follow me, keep your eyes peeled and knives ready just in case.”

“I always do.” Levi murmurs but follows the taller man down one of the corridors. Swiping the white card against a black panel in the barrier opens the gates. Erwin swipes Levi through before him, and then does the same for himself, subtly looking around, but no one is paying them any attention.

The corridor has bare walls, smells heavily of disinfectant, and the lights are a bit too bright. They pause at a set of metal doors. Levi narrows his eyes. With a swipe of Erwin’s card the doors open and, to the prince’s discomfort, reveal a small space inside.

“What is this, Erwin.”

“A lift. Get in.”

Levi scowls, eyeing the small space with suspicion.

“Remind me to grill you about where you’re taking me before I follow you in future.”

Erwin smiles, brows drawing together at the same time. “But that would be less fun.” He teases. The prince shoots him a look, but steps into the lift all the same.

After selecting the eleventh floor, the doors are about to close when someone steps in at the last minute. The man is bald, and his expensive suit doesn’t hide his large beer belly. He has a terrible, limp sort of moustache doesn’t flatter his round face. Levi doesn’t miss the way Erwin’s eyes widen in recognition.

The man gazes at them briefly as he steps in but then seems to forget that they’re there. After Levi's initial surprise as the floor moves upwards, startling him off-balance, there’s an awkwardly long period as the lift moves upwards. Then, the bald man gets out on the same floor, so it’s easy to follow him into the corridor, which aside from windows displaying an elevated view of the world outside, could be exactly the same as the ground floor.

Levi’s trying not to let his discomfort get to him, but this whole place is so far removed from his world that he can feel his senses screaming at him to leave. Instead of focusing on the feeling, he tries to draw strength from Erwin’s confidence. The taller man waits for a moment, large eyebrows furrowed as if considering options, before following the bald man. 

They tail him, and he seems oblivious to the sound of their boots against the hard floor behind him. The man stops as he reaches a frosted glass door and opens it by passing the sleeve of his suit jacket over a black rectangle in the wall. The door closes slowly behind him with a hiss, allowing time for his two pursuers to duck inside. It’s not a large room, and most of the space is taken up by a large mahogany desk on which sits a computer, a framed photograph of a smiling family, and a whole stack of papers. There's a machine that Levi doesn’t recognise in the corner which looks like a beige cube.

It’s almost silly, the way they stand directly behind the bald man as he logs in. Levi watches the way Erwin’s eyes follow the man’s fingers as he types, and then Erwin pulls out his notebook and starts noting things down as he watches.

The Hidden like to pull pranks on Commoners like this, hovering behind their shoulders, taking advantage of the way they can’t be seen, but this feels like a whole other level.

 _Trust Erwin to come up with a way to exploit being Hidden like this_ , thinks Levi.

Whilst Erwin remains riveted to the moving images on the bald man’s computer screen, Levi rapidly loses interest and after a while, he begins to get fidgety, gazing at the rain falling on the window opposite.

It feels like a long time before the computer screen goes dark and the man is shuffling some papers around, moving some of them into a briefcase and standing. As he leaves, he turns off the lights. Though his eyes land briefly on the pair of them, standing right there in his office, his gaze moves on and he leaves, closing the glass door behind him.

Through the window, Levi can see that it’s fully dark out now, and from the sounds of commotion out there, maybe it’s the time of day where most office-people leave.

Erwin doesn’t waste any time, taking the bald man’s seat and clattering away at the keyboard, looking at something in his notebook as he goes.

“Friend of yours?” Levi asks, not moving from his position against the wall.

“Not really,” Erwin says, “more like my boss. Once.”

The taller man doesn’t say any more, absorbed as he is in whatever he finds on the machine’s screen. Levi moves over towards the window, realising that it might be a while before Erwin finds what he’s looking for. It looks directly onto the river, and he watches as a ferry boat passes down below.

A bellowing horn sounds, and he reckons it’s coming from the ferry. Even from up here, he can hear the splashing of water in its wake. Distant figures in long coats are gathered by a jetty waiting for the boat to dock. The rain seems to have picked up again and Levi listens as the wind blows the heavy droplets against the window.

“Fuck.” He hears Erwin say behind him. “I’ve searched everywhere. I can’t find my teams files at all. Which leads me to think… Fuck, I hope not.”

“You hope not what?” Levi asks.

The taller man sighs, leaning back in the high-backed chair and resting his hands on the back of his head. “The files were still here after the wildfire, so they must have been wiped more recently. It’s possible someone’s deleted them, which would be worrying. But it’s also possible that the files disappeared because I did.”

“What, like became Hidden?”

“Yes. Levi, when people become Hidden, do you know what happens to the records of them? Do those disappear too?”

The prince frowns, trying to think. “Hange’s the only one I know who became Hidden past their childhood years. But I think they said something about not being able to find their records in London Above. It could be possible. Certainly, becoming Hidden seems to make you disappear from up here.”

“Maybe it makes you disappear digitally as well.” Erwin frowns, closing his eyes, gears turning in his head. “Fuck. This could have all been for nothing.”

The taller man stands, staring at the table as if for inspiration. Levi, not knowing what to say, stays where he is. Erwin’s fingers move over the mess of papers littered on the desk.

“Wait,” he says, eyes widening in realisation, “The physical copies. I’m sure they must be somewhere. Those papers can’t have just disappeared, even if I have.”

“Would they be here somewhere?”

“I’m not sure. If I’ve disappeared, then what sort of memories would my boss have of my team and our work? He might have been confused by the files if he’d found them, not remembering me or the mission he'd given me.”

“Is there some kind of library where you keep old projects then? An archive?”

Erwin’s mouth opens in shock. “Levi, you’re a genius! In the cellar, yes. It’s worth a shot.”

The prince feels himself warm from Erwin’s praise, hoping the dim light coming through the frosted glass door hides his face well enough from the man.

“Come,” Erwin says sharply, opening the door into the corridor. It’s odd to hear the word on the other man’s lips when it’s usually Levi telling Erwin that. Now, Levi is the one following him. He tries not to think about the other, dirtier, meaning of the word. Definitely the wrong time.

* * *

The sad lights flicker overhead, many of them long dead. The basement is a true nightmare of paperwork. Identical rows of grey and beige folders line shelves that go on seemingly forever. It smells, unsurprisingly, like paper but there’s also a lingering after-taste of mould. Levi feels something like despair as he takes in the daunting sight.

Erwin, on the other hand, seems comfortable - even familiar with the place.

“If it’s a discarded set of papers we’re looking for, it’ll probably be unsorted…” The taller man murmurs under his breath. They wander for a while through shelves before rounding a corner and coming to a low table with towering stacks of folders across it.

“Please tell me we don’t have to search through all of those.”

“Let’s just hope the files are here and we don’t have to search the whole cellar,” Erwin says, with something like glee.

“What’s with you, Commoner. Do you have a thing for paperwork, or what?”

“Something like that.” The taller man replies. He doesn’t elaborate further.

Bracing themselves, Erwin flicks on the desk lamp. It clicks, and the small space is suddenly illuminated enough that they might be able to read. Divvying up the stacks, he directs Levi on what to look for. It’s all much less exciting than Levi had imagined the break-in would be. He hasn’t even thrown a single knife. He’s not sure if he’s disappointed.

After a while, Levi’s eyes begin to suffer from trying to read so much. He’s definitely not well suited to this. He’s in his usual crouch on the floor, folders spread out before him as he makes his way through. Erwin, however, seems right at home. He’s bent over the papers, scanning the pages quickly as he skim-reads, and moving quickly from one folder to the next.

The prince shakes himself mentally and tries to focus, trying not to beat himself up for being so slow. He’s glad he at least knows how to read, more of Nana’s rules, but it’s not like he gets much practise, spending most of his waking hours on dark rooftops.

Sighing, he moves on to the next stack. As he opens a file-box and opens the top-most folder, he stops. Suddenly, focusing isn’t a problem at all.

He mumbles under his breath as he follows the lines of text with his index finger hovering just above the page. “Report on the fire in East Croydon, lead writer Nanaba Fleming…” His hands still.

“Erwin,” he says, “I think I’ve found the reports.”

“What, really? Let me see!” The prince hands him the file-box. Paper rustles as Erwin looks through, sucking in a breath as his eyes widen.

“This is it!” He says, and he turns a dazzling smile on Levi that makes his heart flutter.

“Then we should get out of here already,” says Levi impatiently.

“You’re right, let’s move.”

* * *

“Not very James Bond, I’m afraid,” Erwin says as they’re setting up camp. They’re in the strange little pavilion on top of the church where they’d left their packs. Inside, it’s like a circular room; sheltered and dry, except for the large open archway that serves as an entrance and also lets in the cold and some light from the street lamps.

“Um, James Bond… is he that spy the Commoners go on about, right?” Levi says.

“Yes. When he breaks into places there’s usually more explosions.”

“Well, I prefer the explosion-less version,” Levi says, reaching in his pack for some energy bars. It’s still raining steadily, but the prince finds it soothing now that they’re safely within the pavilion. They’re still in their suits, which are now quite damp, and Levi’s taken his ponytail out so that he can wring out his wet hair. Water splatters across the floor as he does.

“Why would you put a pavilion-like this on top of a building where no one can reach it, anyway?” Levi says, but he means it almost as a compliment. The strange, functionless, little room could practically be part of London Below.

“It’s quite the mystery.” Erwin says, checking that the contents of the file-box they’ve stolen are still dry, “I used to sneak up here when I was a boy.”

The crinkling of the energy bar wrapper halts as Levi tilts his head in curiosity. “When you were a boy? What, you live in one of these rich houses or something?”

Erwin shakes his head. “No, I went to school nearby.”

“That fancy school up the road?”

“Westminster, yes.”

Levi nods his head, unimpressed. “So you’re a posh twat, guess that figures.”

To his surprise, Erwin laughs. The sound is warming, and he can’t help but feel infected by it. The taller man rises to his feet and crosses the short distance to where Levi is crouched. Reaching down to take a hold of Levi’s damp tie, Erwin pulls him to his feet and the energy bar falls, forgotten, to the floor as the taller man turns his intense blue eyes on Levi.

In the light from the streetlamps outside, muffled by the rain, Erwin is glorious. Hair wet, damp suit clinging to his well-muscled torso, bold features highlighted by the shadows. In the next moment, hand still wrapped around Levi’s tie, the man is pulling him into a hungry kiss.

“You’re so confusing.” Levi says against Erwin’s lips. The other man laughs again, and the prince can’t help but smile as he tastes the taller man’s laughter as he kisses him again. When they pull back, Levi is speechless at the raw desire he sees in Erwin’s eyes. He’s not sure anyone’s ever looked at him like that. Certainly not someone as magnificent as Erwin.

He reaches for the man, suddenly impatient and hot and hungry. As their mouths lock, Levi pushes Erwin’s suit jacket out of the way and the garment falls to the floor. His hands are greedy as he’s suddenly able to feel Erwin’s arms through his shirt and as the other man pushes Levi’s jacket off, the smaller man growls into the kiss as he struggles with Erwin’s tie.

Erwin pushes his hands away, still smiling as he unthreads first his own, and then Levi’s tie.

“Stupid Commoner clothes,” Levi growls. As the ties join the suit jackets on the ground.

“I still think they have their perks,” Erwin says in a low voice, hands moving lower to grab the prince’s ass. Levi pulls his mouth back to his to shut the man up, not complaining when Erwin’s hands stay where they are. The taller man uses his hold on Levi to pull their bodies flush, and the prince only hates the restricting confines of the suit more as he feels himself hardening uncomfortably. It feels like Erwin’s in the same situation.

Levi pulls back just enough to unbutton the other man’s shirt. Because of their height difference, his eyes meet the jagged skin of the burn scars marring Erwin’s chest. The last time he’d taken off the man’s clothes, it’d been too dark to see them. He traces the puckered skin with reverence. Erwin’s eyes flutter close and Levi can hear his harsh breathing over the pattering of rain.

Like a fiery snake coiled around his torso, stopping at his neck, and running the length of his arms, the scars are red and too smooth beneath his fingertips. Levi presses kisses into Erwin’s skin, and the man looks at him with something complex and heavy. The prince can feel the other man’s heart beating heavily through the skin under his fingertips.

He tries not to react when Erwin unbuttons his own shirt and removes it. Standing completely still, he senses Erwin suddenly become cautious, as if afraid to startle the prince.

“Levi,” he says softly, “Can I see? It’s ok if you’d rather not…”

“It's ok, it’s fine,” Levi says, voice barely louder than a whisper.

Slowly, he turns around, but he doesn’t hear any changes in Erwin’s breathing as the other man takes in the mess that is Levi’s back. The prince turns his head to the side so he can see the man out of the corner of his eye, but he still startles when he feels Erwin touch him, fingers gently tracing the welt marks that criss-cross his skin. The touch is light and reverent, and Levi shudders as if that soft, sweet touch could erase the brutality of the belt lashes that created the scars.

Turning back again, he stares at the taller man as if to challenge him to say something, but he doesn’t; instead, Erwin just looks at him with world-weary eyes that seem very old. When they kiss again, it’s much gentler and much scarier for all that the kiss might mean.

“I want you,” Levi says. The other man nods.

“I bought some oil from the market,” Levi says, breaking the man’s gaze and stepping away, “and some soap. I’d prefer if we were clean. The rain is strong enough, I reckon.”

They turn to look at it, now a proper downpour. “Of course,” Erwin says. Whilst Levi walks out into the rain, soap in hand, leaving a dry cloth just outside the pavilion, he hears Erwin setting up his tent.

The rain is cold, but it’s not unbearable. It dampens his arousal though, which is good, he prefers having a clear head to make sure he’s not doing something stupid. As he toes off his boots and strips off his suit trousers, he enjoys the glorious feeling of being stark naked in the cold rain on a rooftop in the middle of London. He tips back his head and basks in the feeling, and the water makes his dark hair stick to the nape of his neck.

 _All the shit out there could just disappear for this moment_ , he thinks. He has the odd urge to giggle.

Before he can get too cold, he retreats under the roof surrounding the pavilion, patting himself dry around the corner from the entrance so Erwin can’t see him. He takes a few minutes to breathe. A string of doubts try and grab his attention but they all just fade. He feels a clear understanding, like the clear cold of the rain, that he wants this man. It feels good to know his own mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut in the next chapter ;) don't y'all worry.


	10. The Lost Girl

He waits inside Erwin’s tent as the other man showers in the rain. The door-flap is rolled open to let in some light from the streetlamps. The rough fabric of his trousers is familiar and comforting against his drying skin; it was too weird sitting in Erwin’s tent naked, so he’d felt the need to put something on.

The mood is different when the taller man reappears. Once inside the tent, Erwin awkwardly folds his long limbs so he’s sitting cross-legged opposite Levi in the small space. He must’ve had a similar thought process to Levi because he’s put his underwear back on. He smiles at the prince tentatively, almost shy, but it’s not an uncomfortable silence that falls between them as they observe each other in the warm light.

Gently, Erwin moves towards him, leaning forward so he can trace the curve of Levi’s jaw. In response, the prince tips his face up and he can feel Erwin’s exhalations on his skin. The look in those blue eyes is warm and inviting and Levi presses close, joining their lips together. The inside of Erwin’s mouth is hot and wet and soon his body is responding, and he feels blood pooling in his groin.

Cupping a hand around the taller man’s neck, Levi pulls him so they’re lying, Erwin over him, as their lips part and their mouths slide wetly against each other. The taller man bends to mouth along Levi’s torso as his hands slide the prince’s trousers off. Erwin shuffles out of his underwear easily. For a while, they bathe in the joy of being alive, and the warmth of having another body so close.

Then Levi is pressing a small jar of oil and a small square packet into Erwin’s hand. “I want you to fuck me,” Levi says and doesn’t miss the way Erwin’s kisses take on a new kind of heat.

“Alright.” He says in reply, voice deep, and Levi’s turning so his back faces the taller man and he’s slightly raised off the floor on his hands and knees. Erwin takes advantage of the position, pressing the full length of his naked body against Levi’s and the slide of hot, exposed contact of skin on skin is delicious. His eyes flutter close when he feels how hard Erwin’s cock is against the crack of his ass and he can’t help but press back against the man, craving the sheer oblivion of being consumed and pounded into the floor. He’d forgotten how addictive skin contact can be.

He hears the unscrewing of a lid and then Erwin’s pressing a cold, slick finger into him and Levi presses himself firmly into the floor as the taller man works him open. The sound of heavy breathing is interrupted by the occasional low moan as Erwin brushes against his prostrate.

Before long he’s writhing and impatient, pushing himself back on the other man’s fingers. “I’m good, I’m good, just fuck me already.” Levi snarls.

“Fuck,” Erwin says, sounding broken, “You sure? Maybe I should-“

“I won’t fucking break, just give me your cock.” Erwin lets out a harsh breath and Levi can’t help but wrap a hand around his own hard length to try and ease some of his arousal and impatience as he hears the sound of the condom wrapper tearing.

Erwin wraps a long, muscled arm around his torso and leans down over the prince, enveloping his smaller body as he lines up his cock and slowly pushes in. The stretch is a bit painful but glorious, and he’s only more aroused to hear the litany of curses that fall from Erwin’s mouth. They both suck in a gasp when Erwin pushes in all the way, cock nestled completely inside Levi. The taller man is still for what feels like an age, mumbling incoherently, face buried in Levi’s neck.

“Erwin, if you don’t fucking move-“

It’s like a spell is broken, and Erwin’s pressing his head down into the floor and beginning to thrust into him, hard, and he finds he can’t speak, overwhelmed by the sensation and dizzy with arousal. He can’t think, can’t process anything except the hard motions of Erwin’s cock inside him, Erwin’s body enveloping him and the building pressure inside. And then Erwin reaches a hand down to stroke Levi’s cock and he’s gone. Levi sees stars as he orgasms, and even though he’s sensitive after, he doesn’t care that Erwin’s still going because the feeling of being fucked is so delicious. It’s not long before the taller man cries out, and wraps himself tightly around Levi’s small body, burying himself to the hilt as he comes.

For a while he’s only aware of the sounds of their laboured breathing, and then he’s aware of the slick of sweat on his skin, and of the press of Erwin’s body, also slick with sweat, against his, and then he’s aware of the hard floor below him. As Erwin pulls out, he almost cries out, feeling suddenly empty, but after disposing of the condom and wiping them down with the cloth, the taller man is back, covering them in a blanket, and pulling Levi into a loose, lazy embrace.

Levi revels in the feeling of being properly and truly fucked out, and the mounting list of problems on his mind are far away. He closes his eyes, savouring the feeling of the warm body against his, and then falls asleep to the sound and feel of Erwin’s breathing against him.

* * *

Levi’s always been a light sleeper which is why he generally doesn’t sleepover after sex. He regrets not taking the time to leave and set up his own ‘coon when he’s woken a few hours later. Erwin has rolled over in his sleep and brought the blanket (really just his sleeping bag unzipped) with him. The prince wakes up cold.

He gets dressed and rolls his ‘coon out, not bothering to hang it up. Then he hears anxious muttering from inside Erwin’s tent. Drawn by a strange curiosity, he finds himself going back inside and finds the man tossing and turning. Whatever he’s dreaming about, it isn’t nice. Levi feels the strangest desire to pull the man back into an embrace as if it might ward off the dreams somehow.

And then, he hears the man utter a single word and his voice, though quiet, sounds absolutely terrified.

“Levi.”

For a moment, he thinks the man is awake, but as his movements continue, he’s sure the man’s still asleep. He misses a breath. What on earth could Erwin be dreaming about? Why had he uttered the prince’s name?

He feels flushed and confused just thinking about it, and a very small voice in the back of his head wonders if what they’re doing here, together, is moving into dangerous territory _._ But he shakes himself, and leaves the other man to his troubled dreams, and goes to his own ‘coon to try and get some more sleep.

When he wakes next it’s still just light outside, though the light seems to be fading, and unsurprisingly it’s still raining. There’s the sound of rustling paper and he sees Erwin, looking like he’s been awake a while and buried in thought, surrounded by the files they’d stolen from MI5. As he sits up, the taller man glances at him.

“You been up long?” the prince asks blearily.

“It’s amazing how much is in here that makes sense to me now,” Erwin says instead of answering.

“Mmhmm,” Levi mumbles, stretching. He cringes as he feels his body complain.

“Sore?” The other man asks.

“Shut up.”

Erwin smiles, guilty, a flattering blush colouring his cheeks. He looks oddly sweet for someone who’d pounded him thoroughly into the floor just hours ago.

Then, he’s aware of the smell of hot sausage rolls and notices a small brown paper bag near the other man. Levi gets up and brushes himself down, tying his hair back as he approaches Erwin and reaches for the bag.

“There are some juice cartons in my backpack as well,” Erwin says, though his concentration is still on a page in front of him.

Between bites of the hot, meaty pastry, he catches up on Erwin’s discoveries.

“I need to get these notes to Hange. I just have this feeling that if we can cross-reference the wildfires in London Above with the wildfires in London Below we can understand how one affects the other, and maybe then we’d see the pattern here.

“And there may be other clues. Now, I know that wildfires are started by Titans who light themselves on fire and that they can seem human just long enough to get to where they need to do it, but there’s plenty in here that could add to our understanding – I’m sure there are things I’m missing that Hange could see.”

Erwin shows Levi different reports, photos and maps as he talks, and the prince dutifully nods but he finishes the sausage roll before asking his most burning question.

“And is there anything about the Charlton fire…?” He asks, trailing off.

Erwin turns to him, eyes wide and nods. There’s a shuffling as he looks through the papers to find what he’s looking for. The taller man hands him a sheet of white, A4 paper which has been carefully typed up, titled ‘Charlton fire: Witness statements’.

“Levi,” the taller man says gently, “Nanaba really was a star, she chased up all leads. She must’ve thought the casualty from the Charlton fire might be able to give a statement.”

Levi scans the words, and finds the paper shaking in his hands as he reads:

> _**Possible witness, requires follow-up:** _
> 
> _**Female, estimated mid-twenties.** _
> 
> _**Woke up in Queen Elizabeth Hospital after two weeks experiencing severe memory loss, but otherwise physically stable.** _
> 
> _**Has been sent to St Peter’s Rehabilitation Centre, Borehamwood.** _

* * *

St Peter’s Rehabilitation Centre turns out to be a very long way away. Borehamwood might be able to fool itself as a part of London, but by any reasonable measure, it probably isn’t. It’s not connected to the underground for one thing, and for another, Levi hasn’t heard of the area, let alone know about how to get there via London Below. So they take an overground train.

Levi is jittery throughout the journey and the metal carriage seems to be the slowest train he’s ever encountered, stopping at every tiny station there is. It’s dark outside now, still raining, and try as he might he can’t get a glimpse of their surroundings through the window. In the train’s hideously bright lights he can only see his own reflection staring back at him. He’s starting to get a headache.

From the station, it’s a forty-five-minute walk. Levi’s used to long distances on foot, but he’s not used to staying on flat ground. Maybe it’s the rain, and maybe it’s their distance from the main city, but the air smells much cleaner: closer to dirt and further from the smell of exhaust fumes. At least Erwin’s done the sensible thing and obtained a pair of umbrellas which they only resort to using when the spitting drizzle grows into something with a bit more substance that might actually have a chance of penetrating their outer layers.

Erwin’s got a ‘London A-Z’, which Levi knows is how the Commoners navigate (though it misses all the important parts of the city, in his opinion) and they stop when they reach junctions in the road so the taller man can take it out and peer at the brightly coloured lines with a torch held between his teeth.

Finally, after one too many startling vehicles has dazzled Levi with its too-bright headlights on the dark road, Erwin announces they’ve arrived.

St Peter’s rehabilitation centre is a large, square concrete block with windows carved out as an afterthought. There are benches in the wide lawn around it, and the further side of the estate disappears into woodland, but otherwise, it’s a pretty uninviting sight. The glow of blue-white lights inside and the clatter of cutlery suggests that it might be dinner time. From the sound of it, Levi would say a few dozen people are inside. He feels his fingers twitch, anxious.

They walk straight in. The floor is a hideous mint green rubber that squeaks underfoot and the place smells of antiseptic and old people. The dining room is through a door on the left of the entrance. Levi’s heart is beating too fast, and he’s cursing whoever thought the same bright lights used in the train would be a good idea in a rehabilitation centre as well.

Levi is startled by the strength with which he dislikes the place, and expressions of the people in the dining room, it seems he’s not the only one. Most of the people eating out of the sad, plastic trays are white-haired and hunched over. There’s a notable absence of chatter and many of the people in the room are staring into space.

He moves around the room, surveying all the faces, but none of them are familiar. He moves through to the next room, leaving Erwin behind, trying to ignore the rising sense of frustration. The next room is some kind of living area and several thread-bare sofas sit awkwardly, looking like they would be better placed in a dump.

There are only a few people in this room, and from the different uniforms they wear, Levi estimates that these are the staff. They’re gathered around a table on cheap chairs, perhaps purposefully avoiding the uncomfortable-looking sofas, and playing a game of cards, expressions tired and bored.

Isabel’s not there either.

Erwin doesn’t say anything to him as he walks back past him and begins systematically searching the whole building. There’s a lump in his throat and his headache is only growing more painful. His skin feels too hot and jittery and he feels like running.

Exploring the ground floor further he finds another sad communal space, a kitchen, and several residents' rooms. Isabel’s not there. The first floor is all private rooms, none of them with locks. Levi walks in on several people reading or sleeping. Isabel’s not there. The second floor is almost identical to the second except the sound of rain is much louder above him. Isabel’s not there.

By the time he returns to Erwin who is waiting for Levi just inside the entrance, Levi’s blood is pounding far too loud in his ears. He can’t bear to speak, so he simply shakes his head at Erwin, and suddenly he feels the urge to shout or run or hit something. He pushes past the man into the night. The rain is falling heavily and the water is cold. 

The prince lets out an anguished cry. Then he curses every God or Goddess he knows at the top of his lungs. He feels Erwin’s eyes on him from the dry safety of the entrance. The rain begins to soak through his poncho and he’s distantly aware that he’ll be soaked soon.

When he starts shivering and he’s done shouting he just feels desolate. That’s when he feels the taller man beside him, reaching down to where he’s crouched on the grass to clasp his shoulder.

The other man’s hand is solid, and, at that moment, it feels like a lifeline he didn’t know he needed.

Eventually, he lets Erwin guide him back inside.


	11. Divergence

A few hours after dinner, Levi can hear the click of lights and two staff members grumbling about the day finally being over and the need for a drink. Erwin and the prince have spent the last few hours in a filing room behind reception searching for clues about Isabel. When Levi finally steps out of the small room to clear his head, the dining room is dark but the hall is still lit, and the residents and staff seem to have mostly gone to bed. Leaving Erwin to keep reading through the endless files, he moves through the unlit dining room, craving the comfort of darkness.

When he reaches the living room, he moves across to the wall opposite the windows and presses against it for a while. He feels better with the wall against his back, solid, and listens to the endless rain against the windows. In the slim light from the porch light outside, he casts his eyes over the room trying to imagine Isabel in it.

He’s not Hidden for nothing, he knows how fucked London Above is, but to think Isabel was stuck here in this shithole, lost and forgotten, angers him. Do Commoners care so little for each other that they’d leave their most vulnerable like this? Neglected? Poorly cared for? Unloved? Unhappy?

He throws a knife into the back of one of the sad sofas. It sinks in with a satisfying thunk. Given the state of the thing, the tear he’s made in the fabric probably won’t even be noticed. Levi’s eyes trace the walls. When he’d moved through the room earlier, he’d been focused on the people in it, so he hadn’t noticed the large noticeboard on the wall next to the door. Levi moves across the room towards it.

The board is covered in carefully cut-out squares of paper and photographs. Some seem like newspaper clippings; others seem like adverts or announcements. The photos are mostly of people, but he can’t see their faces in the darkness.

Frowning, he reaches for the light switch.

As soon as the harsh light flares into existence, he sees a familiar face jump out at him from one of the photographs. He freezes.

At that moment, he hears Erwin calling his name, and the man’s heavy gait moving towards him through the dining room.

“Levi,” the taller man says urgently, “A girl of Isabel’s description was here! She left not long ago, only three months-“

The taller man is waving a piece of paper. He cuts off when he sees Levi’s expression. The prince points at the photo.

“I know,” says Levi, “This photo. Erwin, it’s her. It’s Isabel.”

They stare at each other, eyes wide.

* * *

The sound of steel against steel disrupts the quiet of the early morning hours. The air is clear and crisp now that the rain’s stopped and the grass is crunchy with moisture underfoot. As Levi pauses for a moment, a strand of hair falls across his eyes. A gentle wind disperses the clouds so that the half-moon peaks out.

With grace and skill, Levi dances on the lawn outside the rehabilitation center, artfully dodging Erwin’s attempts to pin him with the sleek blades of his new broadswords. The taller man is a bit out of practise, but from the ease and grace with which he moves, Levi can tell that the man’s skill and muscle memory are excellent.

Levi is fighting the taller man using a metal chain he’d bought at the market. He prefers not to get too close to his opponents, but if he’s faced with combat, he likes to string such a chain with one of his blades on the end. To fight Erwin, he hasn’t attached the blade, preferring not to accidentally slice the other man.

It’s an interesting fight. Whilst Erwin might be good, he hasn’t fought someone like Levi, or someone using a chain like this. It’s what Levi’s fighting style relies on, and he bests Erwin almost every round. It feels good to be on his feet and active. It feels good to have a decent fighting partner.

After catching their breath, they turn towards each other again for another round. Erwin is still, blades hanging at his side, looking like he has all the time in the world. Levi paces around him, chain pulled taut between his hands, face revealing nothing as he waits for Erwin to make a move.

When Erwin doesn’t budge, Levi shifts, whipping the chain outwards towards the taller man’s torso that it might bind his arms. As he moves, Erwin twists his wrist upward, changing the direction of the chain and grabbing it as he turns his body. He uses the chain to pull Levi in towards him and has Levi wrapped tight, a broadsword against the prince’s throat before he realises what’s happening.

Levi smiles. “Finally.” He says. “Took you long enough, old man.”

“I’m not that old.”

“Sure,” Levi says, as the man releases the prince from his grip. They turn and go again.

It had been Erwin’s idea to fight. Levi had been a ball of restless anticipation after they’d realised that Isabel _had_ been here, but they’d also quickly realised there wasn’t much more they could do during the night.

They’d settled on a plan: Erwin would chase up the insurance company that had covered for her, for which he’d need to head back into town to find decent internet (the computer at reception was ‘pitiful’, in Erwin’s words) whilst Levi would stay and try to speak to as many people as he could.

But that would have to come tomorrow because it’s too late for Erwin to catch a train into town and too early for there to be anyone awake for Levi to interrogate. So, they fight.

It’s good. It’s _needed._ From the gleam in Erwin’s eye, it seems the other man agrees. Goddess knows, this has been one of the most intense weeks of his life and he just needs to let it all out, and Erwin is a worthy sparring partner.

Finally, panting hard, bodies pumping out endorphins, frustrations released, they head into the woods to set up camp.

The woods are a muddy mess, but Levi’s still feeling the high of the fight and doesn’t mind it. Besides, it smells rich and earthy and it feels like London Below, buried in darkness, accepting the pair of them like old friends. His boots can take it, and he’ll set up his coon so it’s hanging from the trees and he’ll be protected from the filth whilst he sleeps. 

Erwin seems to know what he’s doing, as ever, and the man locates a small platform of raised ground where the earth is mostly packed down and still dry under a bed of half-decayed leaves. Most of the trees nearby are sturdy and thick and Levi easily locates a good place to hang his ‘coon.

After setting up, they start a fire to warm themselves while they eat dried fruit bars and drink from brightly coloured cartons of chocolate milk. They use Erwin’s sleeping back, unzipped like a blanket, so they can sit on a fallen tree trunk.

“Cheers,” Erwin says to him, raising his carton in a toast. Levi echoes him and taps his carton against the other man’s. They share a smile, faces lit by the gentle flames, sitting close beside each other.

“So,” Erwin says.

“So,” Levi echoes.

“I’ll head into town when we wake in the afternoon, I’ll come back so we can share updates later. Either on the last night train or the first early morning train.”

“Ok,” Levi says.

There’s a pause. There it is again, something heavy and complex in Erwin’s eyes as he gazes into the fire. Hesitantly, heart beating in his chest, Levi reaches out and rests his hand on the other man’s shoulder like a tentative half-hug.

His breath is taken away as Erwin turns that strange look on him, and for a crazy moment he dares not believe, he wonders if he could be the subject of the emotions raging in the other man’s ever-moving mind. And then the taller man is wrapping an arm firmly around him and the contact is delicious, and he didn’t know he’d needed it.

For a long time they sit, without speaking, Erwin’s arm still around him like a shield or a warm coat, and Levi is terrified and exhilarated by the warmth in his chest that has nothing to do with the fire.

* * *

He regrets Erwin leaving the next afternoon almost immediately. They’d woken when the gentle winter daylight was as bright as it gets in order for Erwin to take a train and Levi to have more time to interrogate the residents of St Peter’s.

But Levi’s soon frustrated by the task. If he asks someone a direct question they can see him, but their attention slides off him like water off a duck’s back, and he doesn’t get through to them long enough for them to respond. He changes tactics at one point, shoving the photo in people’s faces and asking, aggressively, whether they remember what happened to the girl. He gets their attention for longer, but he also startles them so badly that they start panicking and still fail to answer his question. It’s a long, frustrating afternoon.

As dusk falls, he steps outside to let the gentle drizzle dust his face. He feels exhausted and the cold mist is refreshing. He’s not sure how long he stands there enjoying the peace and quiet and wondering how Erwin is getting along. A prayer to the Goddess falls from his lips: _I hope he’s making better progress._

It’s only then that he realises he’s not alone. On one of the benches on the lawn sits a figure, bundled up well against the cold, back turned to him.

Levi makes his way over and sits down beside them, peering under their huge fluffy hood. Staring back at him is a wrinkled face and startling green eyes that seem very bright and alive. The old woman has a gentle nose, a kind expression and good bone structure: age suits her well.

“You’re going to ask me about the girl as well, I take it?” She says clearly.

The prince almost jumps. He’s unused to Commoners addressing him directly.

“Yes,” he says, hiding his surprise, “Do you know her?”

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” She says cryptically.

Levi resists the urge to roll his eyes. The old woman laughs, “Young man, you haven’t shown me the picture yet. That might help.” She says warmly.

“Oh, right, um – here,” he hands her the photo, “this is the girl.”

The old woman takes the photo in her gloved hands and her eyes widen in recognition.

“Oh yes,” she says, “Lovely girl. So young and full of life. Such a shame they put her here. No place for a girl like that.”

“You knew her!? You knew Isabel!?” Levi almost can’t believe his ears.

“Isabel…so that was her name. Yes, I knew her.”

“Well, where did she go? What happened to her? Tell me everything you know.” Levi says too quickly.

Before speaking the old woman spares him a reprimanding glare in response to his harsh tone, which Levi instantly regrets, but then she smiles, and her eyes become slightly unfocused as she drifts into her own memories.

“She just left one day. And I’m glad. I said to her: ‘You get out of here, young lady’ is what I said, ‘You should be out there enjoying Life’. I just hope she’s ok. And wherever she is, I hope she can be outdoors, with nature and with animals. She loved animals.”

“Yes,” Levi says, voice unsteady, “She did.”

“How did you know her?”

“I’m a friend,” Levi replies.

“I knew someone would come looking for her one day. It’s really such a shame she couldn’t remember anything from before that terrible fire, but they say these things can come back, sometimes. Have hope, dear.” Says the old lady.

Levi just nods, feeling warm from the old woman’s words. But he also feels something else he can’t put his finger on. It feels like he’s let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding whilst at the same time, he’s stretched out to the limit like he’s reaching for something he will never be able to reach.

Well, at least he has something to report back to Erwin.

* * *

The dirty paving beneath his feet grumbles faintly, and then he hears the distant sound of a rhythmic click-clack. The final night train must be approaching.

He’s tucked away in the darkest spot of the platform behind the lift going up to the overhead bridge. Sticking his head out, he squints towards the sign which hovers underneath a streetlamp. It reads: “23:44 TRAIN APPROACHING”. He had read the tiny writing of the information board, so he knows that this is the last train.

 _Erwin better be on it,_ Levi thinks, _or I’ll have to wait six whole hours ‘til the next one._

The large metal beast pulls into the station, wheels protesting as the vehicle decelerates. Inside, Levi can see the cabin lit up with horrendous bright lights, illuminating a handful of well-wrapped passengers. The doors slide open half-heartedly, wheezing with the effort.

And no one steps out.

Levi sighs, picturing Erwin so caught up in his research that he’d forgotten the time and Levi resigns himself to a boring six hour wait. He’s used to his own company and whiling away the small hours, but it’s different out here in unfamiliar territory – a neighbourhood with nothing much he can watch and where everyone is definitely asleep at this time.

He leaves the station and wanders the residential streets surrounding it. From a few houses, he can hear the lively sounds of the television and see the brightly coloured lights flickering from behind the curtains.

Not all creatures are asleep. He meets a few cats. They can see him just fine – cats often pass between Londons Above and Below - and a couple of them seem happy to have Levi as company whilst their humans are sleeping. One cat, a large, fuzzy, ginger ball of fur, walks with him for a long time. He spends some time with the creature, and they curl up together on a park bench for about an hour.

After eating his remaining energy bars, after weaving some new twine, after cleaning all his knives, after walking to calm his restless mind, the time passes. And then he’s back at the station, awaiting the distant clattering of the first, early-morning train. There are two shivering figures on the opposite platform waiting for a train going into town, and one of them has thumping music spilling out from a large pair of headphones.

Then he finally hears it – the first train of the morning. It’s still dark, though the clouds have finally dissipated so the sky seems darker and the temperature’s dropped like a blanket has been taken away. As the clattering click-clack grows louder, his eyes flicker to the glowing sign which now reads: “05:37 TRAIN APPROACHING”.

The train squeals to a halt, and this time he steps out of the shadows so he can properly look inside the carriage. With an unpleasant squeal, the doors slide open.

And no one steps out.

In fact, the carriage seems completely empty. No Erwin. No anyone.

Levi’s heart is racing. Where can Erwin be? Maybe he _really_ got buried in research and lost track of time – but no, he would’ve at least stopped to eat and checked the time then. Besides, Erwin’s too strategic and aware to pass the whole night without realising. He said he’d be back on the last night train, or, at worst, the first morning train. Both have come and gone. No Erwin. So, what’s happened to him?

Immediately he imagines green flames and the crackling roar of a raging wildfire.

 _Anything but that_ , Levi thinks. But he can’t help thinking about it. What if something’s happened? What if the Titans got to Erwin and Levi wasn’t there to stop it?

Another dark thought occurs: what if Erwin just got tired of him and left? What if he’d just been stringing Levi along this whole time, some big strategy of his, part of some plan to – to what? He sighs, trying to get the clamour of thoughts in his head to quieten enough that he can think of what to do.

And then, the clattering of another train approaching. Except this one’s going the other direction. He could go and look for the man, but it would mean leaving, it would mean giving up the remaining time he could use to look for Isabel, it would mean giving up the search.

As the rumbling vehicle pulls closer, he makes up his mind.

Isabel will have to wait. Right now, Erwin could be in danger.

* * *

His mind is a mess on the train back into town. He tries to organise his thoughts into some kind of action plan, but it’s hard to think past his emotions which are shouting loudly at him. The most pressing thing to figure out is where to get off the train. Where would Erwin have gotten off? The nearest station that looked promising or the nearest train station he would’ve recognised?

Should he try to retrace the man’s steps? The thought is daunting. He doesn’t understand how the man’s mind works, always three steps ahead. There’s no way Levi could figure out where in all of London Erwin could’ve gone. As he deliberates, the train passes more and more stations and he stays on out of uncertainty. He recognises where he is now and at the next station he gets off.

 _This is so difficult to do alone,_ he thinks. Ironically, he wishes that Erwin was there to help.

Then, a thought occurs to him.

He could go back. He could go back to the Gyptian Camp, beg forgiveness from Nana Hutchings and the rat-speakers could ask the rats to help trace Erwin’s path. Yes, that could work. He shudders, imagining Nana’s disapproval, but it hasn’t been a week yet, he’s still a Gyptian. It’s his best shot at finding Erwin, he can swallow his pride for Erwin’s sake.

As soon as the thought occurs, his feet are already moving out of the station and down the deserted high street. It’s still early morning for the Commoners, and it smells like the bakers might be the only ones awake.

He rakes through his mental map of London whilst reaching out his senses to figure out the best way back to the Gyptian Camp. Soon, with a subconscious familiarity, a route settles in his mind. There’s a slim alleyway hidden between a café and an old bookshop and Levi slips through, sensing a passage into his own world at the end of it. He drops down into the darkness and is enveloped with the familiar smell of London Below’s underground passages.

The sound of dripping echoes along the dark tunnels as he moves through them as quickly as he dares. He comes to the surface a short while later to cut across an intersection, traffic lights beeping aggressively. Distantly, he registers the jostling, tired yawns of early morning commuters and the smell of cheap coffee as he clambers up some piping, leaps off a shop awning, and swings himself up on to the roof of a building nearby.

At home on the rooftops, he moves much faster though he does drop down to ground level to cut through underground shortcuts. At one point, he ducks through a corner shop and through a door at the back. For years, the shopkeeper had thought it was just a broom cupboard when in fact, the door is another portal into London Below.

Finally, he tumbles into the underground highway leading to the Gyptian Camp’s main entrance. His heart is pounding hard in his chest, and his head hurts. A cycle of worst-case scenarios has flashed through his mind on loop the whole journey. He needs to move faster. What if he’s too late? What if the Titans have Erwin?

And then he rounds a corner.

And then the floor disappears. Everything disappears.

There is nothing. Nothing exists. He doesn’t exist. The world is gone. There is only endless emptiness and blinding white light.

Not even darkness, not even death, just nothing.

And this time, it’s not a vision.

Levi has fallen into a void.


	12. The Commander of London Below

The very particles of his being are falling away, shimmering and fading and becoming part of the loud emptiness.

He can’t breathe and he thinks his heartbeats are failing. Soon, everything that ever was of Prince Levi of London Below will disappear.

He shuts his eyes against the blinding white light. Floating. Drifting into nothing.

 _Isabel,_ he manages to think. _Furlan._

_Erwin._

Erwin.

He knows he’s at the end now because he’s hallucinating strong arms around him. Erwin’s arms. The part of him that still exists curls into the embrace like a cat, some part of him struggling, fighting to survive but mostly he just feels tired, he wants to go to sleep. It’s ok, Erwin’s here now, he can sleep.

And then he something shoots through him. Pain. He’s being pulled by something and the force hurts, it jolts him out of his tiredness and suddenly he realises that he’s still there, he’s still just alive. Erwin squeezes him tightly as they are pulled by some invisible force.

And then a hole in the fabric of the void appears, like a gaping mouth to a dark world. They’re moving towards it. Levi watches it grow larger as they approach, and he knows somehow that his world lies beyond it. He’s more and more awake now, heartbeat still struggling, but Erwin’s arms hold him tight and remind him he’s alive.

They topple through the door.

They collapse onto the floor, hands sliding wetly in the muck. Levi sucks in shuddering gasps. He’s out. He’s survived a void. He can breathe. Tears stream down his face. Levi’s hands clutch his chest – his heart is still beating. He buries himself into the floor and his body racks in heaving, ugly sobs.

When his breathing starts to calm, he becomes aware that he’s not alone in the tunnel. Erwin’s beside him, breaths heaving just like Levi’s. He wasn’t a hallucination. The man is real. Somehow, this man has just pulled him out of a void.

Levi almost jumps when he notices Petra, Hange and Jean, faces full of concern and relief, stand nearby with a long coil of rope. The end of the rope is tied around Erwin’s waist. The pieces click.

“You jumped into a void to save me?” Levi asks Erwin, voice wavering and uneven.

The taller man just nods and then Levi’s wrapping him in a tight embrace, both of them still kneeling on the dirt floor of the tunnel.

“Your friends helped,” Erwin mumbles beside Levi’s ear.

Levi feels completely overwhelmed, and the tears start afresh. He presses his forehead to Erwin’s and the other man wraps his large arms tight around Levi’s upper back. Their lips meet.

It’s a kiss unlike anything Levi’s ever experienced, both of them still raw and jagged, tears spilling hot and salty onto each other’s cheeks. As they cling to each other desperately, Levi’s distantly aware of his friends awkwardly shuffling away to give the two men space.

“But,” Levi says, still shaking, “What happened to you? What happened here?”

“A wildfire, a big one – the Shepherd’s Realm was lost. It took part of this main tunnel with it.” Erwin murmurs gently.

The prince sucks in a gasp. The Shepherd’s realm was one of the largest.

The taller man’s hands move to thread through Levi’s hair, long since fallen out of its fastening. “I hoped you’d stay where you were and keep looking for Isabel.”

“You didn’t show. I thought you might be in danger, so I came straight away.” Levi mumbles, voice insistent. They pull apart just enough to look at each other. Erwin takes Levi’s face between his hands and kisses him again, lips soft and breath unsteady.

“Well, that’s why we were here,” Erwin says, “Me and the others. Just in case you decided to come back. We knew you wouldn’t know about the void yet.”

“Thank you,” is all Levi can manage to say. The taller man nods and pulls him back into a hug.

Erwin clutches him tighter and for a long time, the kneel against each other in the dark tunnel wrapped in each other’s arms, overwhelmed just to be alive.

* * *

Levi barely makes it back to the camp because he’s so exhausted. The pair had joined their friends further down the tunnel, and all four of them: Erwin, Petra, Hange and Jean, hover around Levi as if he might faint at any moment. But he doesn’t, he makes it back despite his unsteady feet. Erwin, somehow, seems strong and confident as ever like he hadn’t just dived into a void.

The camp is more crowded than he’s ever seen it. It’s swollen to twice the usual number with all the Shepherds who had fled their realm as it collapsed. The cave lanterns are dim, but nobody is asleep; in fact, the camp is a flurry of sombre activity and harsh voices arguing. Levi can hear a heavy undercurrent of grief and despair in everyone’s tone.

The hubbub quiets as their little group passes through, and despite his exhaustion, he’s aware enough to realise that Erwin seems to be the centre of attention.

It starts slowly. As the crowded wooden walkways part around them, he hears someone bring their hands together. And then, like a floodgate opening, the whole cave seems to erupt in applause and whooping cheers. Levi sees Shepherds, long hoods drawn back to reveal pale faces full of tears and gratitude, all of them turned towards Erwin.

 _What on earth have I missed?_ Levi thinks.

They find Nana Hutchings, several Elder Shepherds and several other older Gyptians in the same tent Levi had been brought to after his vision. The tent falls silent as their little group enters, and then, to his surprise, Nana Hutchings envelops Levi in a warm hug.

“Our prince has returned,” she says, “I hope you can forgive me for pushing you away. We need you. Both of you,” she says, looking towards Erwin.

Then an old Shepherd steps forward. His characteristic red and black robes adorned with gold trim. An elaborate gold sash is slung over his torso. His hood is drawn back, revealing a face lined with age and wisdom, and Levi is surprised once more as the Elder bows low and offers his palms outwards towards Erwin in a symbol of gratitude and respect.

“From all of my people, we thank you, Great Warrior. We owe you our lives.”

Levi frowns in confusion, but Erwin keeps his focus on the Shepherd Elder, bowing and mirroring the gesture with his hands.

The next few hours are a blur of long meetings and conversations that mostly go over Levi’s head. He falls into an exhausted heap on the blankets piled in the corner and he’s mostly left to doze in peace, comforted by the familiar smells of strong black tea and the sounds of his people around him. Erwin spends a long time talking with the leaders of the two realms and at one point Levi opens his eyes to see Hange and Jean speaking to the small assembly, expressions serious.

Finally, he wakes to find the tent quiet and empty except for Erwin sitting next to him on the blankets. Now that the others have gone, Levi can see how exhausted the taller man is, shoulders sagging heavily.

“Hey,” Levi says, voice rough from sleep. He reaches out to rest his hand beside Erwin’s.

“Hey,” Erwin replies.

“You look exhausted. Come, sleep with me.”

The taller man smiles down at him, but his eyebrows are still drawn in a frown. “But there’s so much work to do.”

“It can wait. You need to rest more.” Levi tells him. It doesn’t take much convincing. After a few minutes of light bullying, the taller man lies down beside him and wraps Levi in a loose embrace.

As Levi starts drifting back off, he realises he should ask Erwin what he’s missed, but he’s too tired and the thought fades before he can find the strength to raise the question. It’s enough to feel the other man's solid presence next to him.

* * *

In the blur of activity during the following waking hours, Hange and Petra manage to steal Levi away so they can catch up over some tea. The strong black liquid is lukewarm by the time they find a place to drink it, but it tastes like Mikasa’s signature brew, and the hint of ginger is comforting as it warms his throat.

“Everyone’s talking about Erwin.” Hange starts excitedly.

“There’s rumours that the realm leaders will ask him to start a new group of fighters. A bigger one, with fighters from all the realms. The fighters of London Below united together against the Titans, with Erwin at the lead.” Petra continues, just as urgently.

Levi manages to restrain his surprise, shaking his head. “Hold on, hold on, slow down. Tell me what I’ve missed.”

“You don’t know?” Hange asks.

“I was sort of passed out for most of yesterday. Y’know, after falling into a void.” Levi says.

“Well, sure, but I assumed Erwin caught you up when you guys went to sleep. We gave you the whole tent and everything.” Hange says, with an over-the-top wink, and Petra flushes a deep scarlet and elbows them in the ribs, hard.

Levi shuts his eyes briefly but finds himself smiling. “So everyone knows about that, huh?”

Petra runs a hand through her soft brown hair and has the decency to look abashed, but Hange seems oblivious to the girl’s embarrassment and continues: “You guys are SO perfect for each other.” Their eyes shine as they clasp their hands together and Levi has to look away from the intensity of their gaze.

“Yeah, yeah, ok, let’s just move on alright? No need to discuss my _private_ life, tell me what happened. What happened with the fire? Why is everyone worshipping Erwin all of a sudden?”

Hange sniggers and whispers loudly to Petra: “I’m sure _someone_ was already worshipping Erwin, am I right?” The teenager becomes impossibly more flushed.

The prince just rolls his eyes but can’t help the light flush he can feel in his cheeks as the memory of Erwin’s naked flesh against his flickers through his mind. “Hange.” He says firmly, by way of reprimand.

They giggle for a while longer, pleased with themselves, but after a few minutes they settle down and Petra’s complexion returns to a more normal shade. Levi slurps loudly on the last dregs of his tea, holding the cup by the rim.

“About half of the fighters were out on patrol when we got the call. The rats were calling for an evacuation of all of London Below. They were warning about another wildfire.” Petra says.

“There was a mad scramble, of course, but after about thirty minutes we managed to get everyone out. Was a bit of a mess figuring out which tunnels to send people towards so that they didn’t get clogged and figuring out where we should all wait. Actually, I’ve been thinking for a while now that we need a proper evacuation procedure, maybe even practise it to see how fast we can get everyone out, y’know? And we could have some kind of alarm like the Commoners have for fires-“

“Sounds great, Hange, but getting back to the topic?” Levi interjects.

Petra continues: “About an hour after the evacuation call came, we saw it. The wildfire. It wasn’t huge, but we could see the green flames. Me ‘n the other fighters who were already out on patrol went to check it out. Didn’t look like it was spreading or anything, just some old building near the Old City of London area.”

“But it took out the whole of the Shepherd’s realm,” Hange says, “It was insane. Such a small fire in London Above contained somehow to just one building and that was their whole realm gone.”

“But almost all the Shepherds managed to get out,” Petra says, eyes shining with tears and admiration, “Thanks to the rats. Thanks to the call.”

“It was Erwin who called the evacuation wasn’t it?” Says Levi, quietly.

His two friends nod, and he feels a surge of pride and warmth in his chest. “How?” Levi asks them.

“Mostly instinct. He noticed two Commoners – well, must’ve been Titans – that he recognised from the wildfire you both escaped some weeks back. He chose to send a message through the rats just in case rather than follow them – his instincts are what saved so many lives.”

“And me,” Levi says, voice quiet and eyes unfocused on a point far in the distance.

“Yes,” Hange replies with sympathy, “And you.”

They fall quiet, and at that moment, they were all thinking of the same thing. They were thinking about the moment Erwin had remerged from the void with Levi in his arms the day before. Levi was remembering the feeling of the ground, solid beneath him after the blank weightlessness of the void, whilst his two friends were thinking of the look of devotion on Erwin’s face as he’d cradled the smaller man in his arms.

“We’re glad you’re both back safe, Levi,” Petra says.

The prince manages a small smile.

“So am I.” He says.

* * *

A week later a strange assembly meets in the central tent of the Gyptian Camp to mark the first great alliance of all the realms of London Below in history. Amongst those gathered are the cloaked figures of the Shepherd Elders, the Baron and the Earl of the newly-named ‘United Courts’, the strange hunched forms of the most favoured rat-speakers carrying their royal rodent leaders, several Roman soldiers in full armour, a deadly-looking woman – the Rogue’s leader - dressed all in red with hair coiled like snakes, Nana Hutchings, Erwin, Hange, Jean and of course, the Prince of London Below.

Levi never thought his strange position as a Prince of all realms would ever have any real purpose. When he’d been crowned, a similar gathering had attended to mark the occasion, but never in his wildest dreams did he image the realms actually coming together, putting aside millennia-long conflict, even for the Titans.

But now, as the only Hidden whose position extends beyond his own realm, to mark this unexpected union, it falls to Prince Levi to address those gathered. He feels oddly itchy about having to speak, impatient to pass over to Erwin who he knows has much better words. The tent falls silent, and the twenty or so Hidden within turn to look to him. Levi swallows, throat suddenly dry, and feels the strong urge to flee. His eyes flicker to Erwin. He finds pale blue eyes staring at him intently, and the taller man nods, smiling.

Levi takes a deep breath.

“We gather today for an unlikely alliance. An alliance of all the realms against the Titans.” He takes a deep breath, willing his rapid heartbeats to slow and decides to keep it brief, “All of the realms will lend their fighters to a new army. The army of London Below against the Titans. Erwin, we name you as the Commander of this new force. Do you accept this position?”

As Levi breathes a sigh of relief that his small part is over, he watches Erwin pulls himself up to his full height and even in the light of the cave lanterns, the man exudes strength and confidence. The newly appointed Commander turns to face the assembly.

“Good leaders of all the realms. It is an honour to accept this position. As you all know, the Titans have destroyed so much of London Below. So many lives have been lost, and I would be lying to you if I said that we will not lose more.

“But I can say this. Now that we are united, we are at our strongest. Now that we are united, we can finally find out the truth about the Titans, where they came from, what they’re after. Now that we are united, we can beat them. I will do everything in my power to win this war. We will destroy the Titans. We will free all of the Hidden from the Titans once and for all.”

And as Levi looks around the tent, he is amazed to see the same expression across the faces of all of those gathered there:

Hope.

* * *

Levi and Erwin are sat on the ledge halfway up the cave wall, the ledge where Furlan and Isabel used to keep their large ‘coon, the ledge where Erwin had camped before they’d left. The lanterns are low and the shouting, clamouring, cooking, brewing and arguing of the Gyptians and their guests have mostly died down as more and more people retreat into their hodge-podge tents to try and sleep.

Nearby, a small group of young Gyptians sit around a small fire, huddled close for warmth. The dozen or so Hidden are draped across each other, seeking comfort, and the sounds of their warm conversation drift up to the two silent observers on the ledge. The pair haven’t said anything since returning from the ceremony marking the alliance of London Below, but the silence between them is comfortable and familiar. From the sounds of the conversation below, the word is out that London Below is officially united.

Besides the small campfire, a young woman with long, black hair braided in an intricate cascade down her back, maybe the same age as Petra, picks up a lute. She rests the instrument on her legs which are crossed underneath a colourful and richly patterned skirt. As she begins to strum, the gathering of Gyptians gradually falls quiet, and after a few minutes, she starts to sing.

Her voice is surprisingly deep and rich, and flows smoothly like honeyed mead, but with an added heartfelt undertone that causes the hairs of Levi’s skin to stand on end. As she sings, the rest of the group starts to join, and Levi recognises one of the Gyptians’ great old songs.

The simple song gets straight under Levi’s skin and he finds himself infected with a heavy and beautiful emotion. He finds himself thinking about all that has happened and of how greatly he has changed. An unsteady breath beside him breaks his train of thought, and he turns to find Erwin with tears in his eyes, arms folded tightly across his chest like he’s restraining the emotions within.

The taller man’s eyes dart to his and then turn back to the singers below.

“What language are they singing in?” Erwin asks.

“An ancient tongue. Older that London, some say.” The Prince replies. A man’s voice takes over the narrative from the lute-player, and his voice reaches a series of poignant low notes that cut pleasantly through the very rock beneath them.

“What is the song about?” says the taller man.

In the gentle light, the prince smiles. “It’s an ancient song about a brave warrior taking on a mighty enemy. It’s a song about bravery. It’s a song about Hope.” Levi turns to hold the other man’s eyes and the pale blue irises shimmery beautifully.

“And people do have Hope,” Levi continues, “I’ve overheard them all, the last week. You gave them that Hope, Erwin.”

The taller man blinks heavily, and he shakes his head with a small smile, taking Levi’s hand between his much larger ones.

“No, Levi, you did. Their Prince came back. London Below’s strongest fighter has returned.”

Levi squirms at the heavy emotion in Erwin’s eyes and the intensity of having all of it directed at him. So, he kisses the man. Their lips meet and the kiss is soft, gentle, sweet. It promises more, later. But for now, the Gyptians are singing, and the moment is too beautiful to miss.

Levi rests his head on Erwin’s shoulder and the taller man brings an arm up and wraps it around his shoulders.

“We make quite a pair, don’t we?” says the Commander.

“The Prince and the Commander of London Below.” Says the Prince.

“Yes,” Erwin says softly, “Yes, we are.”

And together the pair sit for a long time enjoying the beautiful, ancient songs wrapping around them in the gentle lantern-light and revel in the feeling that there might be hope for the future.


	13. Epilogue

The young Gyptians continue singing for a long time, and Levi feels like he never wants their music to end. But inevitably he can tell from the increase in number of Erwin’s yawns that they should sleep, so he extricates himself from the man’s embrace and they clamber to their feet, bodies stiff.

Levi doesn’t jump away towards his own ‘coons which he’s finally had time to suspend near the cave ceiling again. He hasn’t slept there since his return. Instead, Erwin’s tent stands open beside them, and Levi turns to the man expectantly. The Commander steps closer and pulls Levi in with a hand on the small of his back. His other hand settles on the prince’s face, tipping it upwards so that Erwin can press their lips together. Levi can’t help the way he melts into the man’s touch.

Grinning, Levi pulls the taller man by his shirt collar into the tent. A shiver passes down his spine as he sees Erwin’s eyes darken, and Levi bites his lip playfully. Kneeling in the tent, Erwin turns on a small lamp and suddenly the prince can see the man’s well-structured features fully. Erwin is beautiful, and Levi traces gentle fingers over Erwin’s cheekbones, nose, ears, chin, all while those piercing blue eyes stare at him softly.

They kneel in front of each other as the prince unbuttons Erwin’s button-up. With each button, more of the man’s scarred flesh is revealed, but in the lantern-light, the twisted patterns look gentle and friendly. When the other man is shirtless, Levi maps the contours of his scars, memorising them with his fingertips and his lips, all whilst Erwin breathes more and more unsteadily, and Levi becomes aware of the heavy scent of the man’s arousal and the rhythm of his increasing heartbeat.

Then Erwin is reaching for him, pressing an insistent kiss to Levi’s lips, and it quickly turns hungry and playful. Erwin gets him out of his kimono and long-sleeves shirt in record time, and pushes the prince down onto his back, still kissing him, hands reaching for the fastening of Levi’s cotton trousers.

Their trousers soon join the rest of their discarded garments in a corner by the tent door, which they haven’t bothered to close. Levi notes, idly, that their clothes will get crumpled if they don’t fold them, but with Erwin’s mouth sucking delicious bruises into his neck, the thought is forgotten. An embarrassing noise leave’s Levi’s lips as the next bite finds a sensitive point where the muscles of his neck meet his clavicle, and Erwin chuckles in a low voice that has him instantly, unbearably hard.

“Another sensitive point?” The man murmurs into his ear, voice like chocolate. Levi shivers in response.

“Just shut up and fuck me.” He says instead and hisses when Erwin rolls his hips against Levi’s, pressing their hard cocks flush against each other. The taller man smirks at him, but Levi’s responding glare is swallowed by Erwin’s lips.

The prince rolls them over so he’s straddling the taller man, and he reaches for the lube and a condom.

“Come closer,” Erwin murmurs, “let me suck your cock whilst I work you open.”

“Fuck, Erwin,” Levi says, aware of how his face is flushed. The man is unlike any lover he’s ever had. He does as he’s told, shifting himself upwards so his straining cock brushes Erwin’s lips. With a mischievous grin, the taller man licks a long stripe over the hard length, causing Levi to groan. Erwin smiles. Levi glares at him.

He opens the jar of lube, and Erwin generously spreads some on his fingers, and then at the same time, without warning, Erwin pulls Levi forward by the hips, pulling his cock into Erwin’s open mouth whilst pressing his wet fingers inside Levi’s ass. Levi curses, eyes rolling back into his head, but he quickly recovers enough to look down at the incredible sight of Erwin, the Commander of London Below, hollowing out his cheeks to take Levi’s dick.

The prince can’t help the way his hips move a little and it’s overwhelming and delicious to have stimulation either way he moves. When Erwin curls his fingers, Levi gasps again as the man finds his prostrate. He withdraws his cock from Erwin’s mouth, breath unsteady.

“I won’t last,” he says, seeing Erwin’s expression. The man practically pouts, lips hungry, and fuck if that doesn’t turn Levi on even more. As ever, he is impatient as Erwin works him open, too aroused now to think straight and just wanting the man’s gorgeous, thick cock inside him.

Finally, he pushes Erwin’s fingers away and rips open the condom wrapper. Erwin raises an eyebrow as Levi expertly rolls the condom onto him with one hand without looking, but the expression on Erwin’s face quickly changes as Levi starts sinking down onto him. The prince loves this moment, when Erwin, usually so composed and put together, completely loses his shit. With this position, they can see each other’s expressions clearly as Levi starts fucking himself onto the taller man’s cock.

He leans down, placing a hand either side of Erwin’s head so that they press open-mouthed kisses to each other between laboured breaths. Erwin’s hands grip Levi’s hips firmly, helping to lift him up and down in a steady, intense rhythm. He knows Erwin’s close when he starts talking dirty.

“Can you come for me, without me touching you?” the man asks, and “you’re so good for me, so tight for me,” and “you were fucking made for this weren’t you? Made to take my cock?”

And Levi doesn’t last long after that. He comes untouched, and Erwin’s eyes are fixed on him, full of awe and hunger, as he follows suit, pulling Levi down hard as he climaxes.

After, they towel off and re-dress enough to be warm while they sleep. As he wraps himself around the other man, Levi marvels at the growing familiarity of sleeping with his lover, a new and beautiful level of intimacy. Before, the feeling would have made him want to flee, but as he closes his eyes, he finds himself smiling.

There’s nowhere else he wants to be.

* * *

When Levi wakes and pokes his head blearily out of the tent, Erwin’s just returning from a shower, already dressed for the day. His blond hair is heavy with water, clinging to his scalp, and the man towels it dry, running the scruffed fabric across his ears.

“Morning,” Erwin says with a dazzling smile.

“Morning,” Levi replies, staring at Erwin with open appreciation.

The taller man has a strange look on his face like an excited schoolboy trying and failing not to tell a great secret. Levi frowns at him, raising an eyebrow curiously.

“What?” He demands. “Do you need a shit or something?”

Erwin rolls his eyes. “No, nothing like that.” He takes the towel from around his neck and hangs it on a near-invisible string held taught between his tent and the cave wall.

“The photo of Isabel. I showed it to the rats two days ago, they can cover all of London very quickly.”

Levi is on his feet in an instant.

“You did? Fuck. That’s a brilliant idea. Well? Did they find anything? Did…” Levi takes a deep breath, “Did they find her?”

Erwin smiles, and Levi’s heart misses a beat.

“It’s night-time in London Above right now, so I suggest you wait until later when it’s daylight, maybe just as the cave lanterns start to dim. And then, you might want to sit on the roof of St Peter’s rehabilitation centre for a bit and look out towards the countryside.”

He startles Erwin with an attack-hug, and then he kisses the man fiercely.

“You’re brilliant! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!” And Levi runs away to shower, and change, and tell Petra and Hange.

* * *

It’s close to the winter solstice now, so dawn comes late, and the whole of London Above seems awake and vibrant well before the sun finally surfaces above the horizon. Levi’s brought gloves and a beanie and decides he needs a better coat. The new one doesn’t have anywhere near as many pockets as his old one did, but that was lost to the river when the bridge collapsed. He can see his breath when he exhales and feels the childish impulse to breathe out heavily just to watch the vapour curl around itself.

The sky is free of clouds for once, slowly shifting from black through purple through shades of blue as Levi walks from the station in Borehamwood along the frost-crusted pavements towards St Peter’s. He takes care to watch his step, as even he can slip or fall despite his nimble gait. He feels a strange calm settle over him, like a part of him is awakening with the bright oncoming of the new day, and the air is fresh, crisp and sweetened with the scent of freshly cut grass.

The ugly concrete block that is the rehabilitation centre appears around the next corner, but even this unpleasant site is flattered by the gentle clear sky and winter morning birdsong. Levi hardly notices the stained, grey facade; instead, he notices the dew on the grass glittering like pearls and a light mist spilling out like a blanket through the forest on the other side of the building.

Some residents are sitting outside, wrapped up against the cold, but enjoying the beautiful morning regardless. They don’t notice as Levi clambers up a drainpipe and pulls himself onto the roof of the building. He’s just in time to catch the moment the sun breaches the sky, and he forgets to shield his delicate eyes from the light, captivated by the beauty of the moment. The low angle of the sun’s rays casts his surroundings in a warm orange glow, and from the rooftop of the centre, he finds that he is able to see a long way in all directions.

To the South, London expands seemingly infinitely. Levi is startled by the distant glimmer of sunlight catching skyscrapers. If he turns his back on the Sun, the countryside expands beyond him with an endless checkerboard pattern of fields lined with hedges and outcrops of trees. Levi settles into a crouch on the edge of the roof, facing the countryside, back to the sun.

As he’s staring over the fields, he remembers a distant time when the Hidden sometimes made forays into the world beyond London. Once, there had been passages to all parts of the country, some said even the whole world. Before the Titans, Levi, Furlan and Isabel had found a passage to a forest by the sea and had spent a week there when the days were long in the summertime.

But they couldn’t stay long. They were Hidden, at home in the shadow, in the dark places, and most of all in the city. They had no idea how to survive or find food without their familiar urban jungle around them. Regardless, Levi looks back fondly on that time, and the joy of discovering what the ocean looked like, felt like, tasted like. Isabel’s laughter.

Movement catches his eye, and he remembers, eagerly, why he’s here. He’s not clear what Erwin hoped he’d see, coming here at dawn, but his eyes are excellent, and the light is good. His eyes search for the source of movement and he sees a horse appear from behind a group of trees. The horse is grey and lightly dappled with a brilliant, beautiful white mane. A handsome leather saddle on its back is empty.

Then Levi hears a high-pitched whistle, and the horse turns back in the direction of the trees behind it, disappearing again out of Levi’s view. A few minutes later, the horse re-appears but this time with a rider. He can’t see their features clearly, but as the horse and rider move out of the shade of the trees and into the sunlight, Levi catches sight of red hair streaming in the wind, and he hears a cry of delight and joy as the horse breaks into a sprint across the fields.

Levi’s eyes widen. He knows that sound, and if there was ever anyone who was good with animals, it was Isabel. Could it be her? She has the same red hair. He feels light, almost giddy, as he watches the horse and rider gallop away and Levi quickly turns and clambers to the ground, startling an old woman who had been walking past.

The old woman clears her throat loudly, and Levi had just been about to leave, but he stops, turns back to her and smiles as he recognises her. It’s the old woman who spoke to him before. She smiles and beckons him close.

“You look delighted, dear. Have you found your friend yet?” She says.

Levi can’t help his smile. “I think I might have. Hey, do you know if there’s a place they keep horses near here. Um, what do you call them-”

“Stables?”

“Yes! Those.”

“Hm, I don’t know. But I can ask reception for you.” She says, eyes twinkling with curiosity and intelligence.

“That would be great! Thank you,” Levi says, and waits for the old woman to shuffle slowly past him and in through the front door of the centre. He’s practically bouncing as he waits, impatience and excitement building in his body like a coiled spring needing release. When the old woman re-emerges, she nods.

“There is a stables not too far away. About a half-hour walk. If you continue down this road and follow signs for Borehamwood Stables, you should find it alright. And people will probably know if you ask them.”

At that moment, Levi could have hugged the old woman.

* * *

The stables mark the boundary between the final vestiges of the city and sprawling farmland. As Levi approaches, a series of wide fields lies on the left, crop long shorn short and left bristling and squat in the meagre winter wind. On the right, a spattering of odd houses with large, hedged gardens line the road. He knows he’s going the right way. Horse shit is all over the road.

Levi removes his hat and gloves, finding himself warming in the daylight, though he takes care to stay to the shade of the skeletal trees where he can, not wanting his eyes or skin to suffer the sun’s glare. The walk seems far too long and Levi is jittery with impatience, but he resists the urge to run, not wanting to risk stepping into any horse shit. It really is everywhere, but at least it doesn’t smell too bad.

Then, a series of buildings appears around a corner and Levi can tell from the snorting and shuffling sounds that this must be the stables. As he pulls up to it, he peers through the gaps in the hedge to get a better look. The stables comprises a series of simple buildings, most for the horses’, but beyond he can hear the sounds of voices, and he knows there must be at least someplace for the Commoners to meet and rest.

Levi pulls apart a large gap in the hedge in order to slip through and navigates around the muck towards the nearest building. He swings a twine-bound knife into the thick thatch of the roof and pulls himself up easily.

He was right, there is another set of buildings beyond those for the horses. One of them looks like someone’s home: it’s a squat little cottage with circular windows and ceramic pots outside that look like they would hold flowers in spring. In front of the cottage, a tall woman with greying blond hair braided down her back stands surrounded by a small pack of dogs. The creatures are all of different breeds, but all seem excited by something she’s doing with her hands and she seems totally engaged in the task.

As Levi watches her, the clip-clop of hooves rings out from behind him, and he turns to see the same dappled-grey horse he had seen from St Peter’s roof and its rider coming up the road. The horse and rider turn into the stables, joy and easy happiness radiating from both. The rider turns towards Levi.

No doubt about it. It’s Isabel.

The prince almost cries out, almost leaps immediately towards her, but something stops him. He stays in his position on the rooftop, soul surging with joy at the sight of her, and wonders what could possibly be holding him back. Somehow, it just feels like what Erwin would do.

Isabel dismounts and the older woman turns away from the dogs to greet her warmly, clasping her into an embrace that seems familiar and genuine. As the two women part, Levi spots a faint blush on Isabel’s face, and suddenly, he is struck with a realisation like a physical blow.

In all their years together growing up in London Below, Levi has never seen Isabel this happy. She is glowing with joy, and he remembers with a start how he and Furlan had talked often about her, worried that she wasn’t suited to their life. She was always meant to live above ground in the sunshine.

And here she is. All of Levi’s worst nightmares over the last year since he lost her, and despite it all, despite having lost her memory, she’s found her way to a place where she is happy all by herself. He’d never even dreamed that this could be true.

Isabel bends to greet the dogs, and she seems to know them all by name. From the way the creatures react, they love her dearly.

Now that he sees her like this, he feels strange. What was he planning on doing? Going down to her and revealing himself? Bringing her back to London Below?

If he does go to her, she might not recognise him. She might not even notice him, like most Commoners, and there would be no way he could convince her to come back. If she does recognise him, she might remember everything, and then how could she ever stay here with the knowledge of what she’d left behind?

But if he leaves her here, where she is happy, she will also be safe. Levi’s world is under attack, and it’s not safe anymore.

He watches Isabel lead the grey horse towards the stables and then he watches her begin the task of grooming and caring for the great beast. She whistles whilst she works, and the sound fills Levi’s heart with a great love for her.

And he realises he’s happy for her. He’s happy to see her like this.

He’ll be ok, he’s not alone anymore. Maybe he never had been.

And with one last look at his dear friend, the Prince of London Below turns away and leaves her behind to return to his own world.

Now, he’s ready to fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! It's been a blast.
> 
> Hopefully, I may one day get around to writing a sequel, as this story is almost a set up for a longer story arc.


End file.
